Ria was a companion of a possible future incarnation of the Doctor.
She greeted the Doctor's seventh incarnation and his companion, Ace, on Maruthea during Bonjaxx's birthday celebration. (COMIC: Party Animals) After losing his memories, a delirious "Fred" later briefly mistook Olivia for Ria, an impression not in any way lessened when an unimpressed Olivia made it clear she had no idea what he was talking about. (PROSE: Cyber-Hunt)
Behind the scenes
The character of Ria first appeared in the fan-produced Audio Visuals, in which she travelled with the "Nth Doctor" played by Nick Briggs, as portrayed in Party Animals. In the Audio Visuals, Ria was portrayed by Liz Knight in The Mutant Phase before the role was recast with Patricia Merrick (whose image was used to portray Ria in Party Animals). The role was once again recast with Heather Barker appearing as Ria in Sword of Orion.