'Who' exec: 'No old monsters in series six'

Doctor Who executive producer Piers Wenger has hinted that the upcoming sixth series of the sci-fi drama will be focused on establishing new villains.

In an interview with CraveOnline, Wenger was questioned as to whether any returning monsters will feature in next year's episodes.

"No, we're bigger fans of new monsters," he said. "That's where we are. I think [Who showrunner] Steven [Moffat's] written the best new Doctor Who monsters in a long time in the [series] opening two-parter. That's where our energies are focused, really."

Wenger also offered a preview of the show's upcoming holiday special.

He teased: "It's called 'A Christmas Carol' and you know Steven's obsession with timelines to drive a story is very well documented. It's based on the iconic Christmas story that does that. It's very much a Doctor Who [version of] Christmas Carol.

"[The Doctor] meets a character named Kazran Sardick played by Michael Gambon who is similar to Scrooge, and The Doctor appears to him as the Ghost of Christmas Past and takes him back to his childhood and tries to show him the error of his ways while trying to save Amy and Rory who are trapped on a [space] train."

The Doctor Who one-off episode 'A Christmas Carol' will air on Christmas Day on BBC One in the UK and BBC America in the US. The sixth series is to follow in spring 2011.