Autons

The Autons are an artificial life form from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and adversaries of the time-travelling alien known as the Doctor. First appearing in Jon Pertwee's first serial as the Doctor, "Spearhead from Space" in 1970, they were the first monsters on the show to be presented in color. Autons are essentially life-sized plastic dummies, automatons animated by the Nestene Consciousness, an extraterrestrial, disembodied gestalt intelligence which first arrived on Earth in hollow plastic meteorites. Their name comes from Auto Plastics, the company that was infiltrated by the Nestenes and subsequently manufactured their Auton shells in "Spearhead from Space". Autons conceal deadly weapons within their hands, which can kill or vaporize their targets. The typical Auton does not look particularly realistic, resembling a mannequin, being robotic in its movements and mute. However, more sophisticated Autons can be created, which look and act human except for a slight plastic sheen to the skin and a flat sounding voice. In Series 5 of the new Doctor Who series, they are shown as being able to create fully life-like human replicas, able to fool other humans.

Notes & Trivia

 * The Autons were created by teleplay writer Robert Colin Holmes and brought to life (so to speak) by director Derek Martinus.

Appearances
Incomplete

Doctor Who (1963)

 * "Spearhead from Space (Part 1)"

Doctor Who (2005)

 * "Rose"

Related articles

 * Autons/Appearances