The Autons are an artificial life form from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and adversaries of the Doctor. 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 colour.

Autons are essentially life sized plastic dummies, animated by the Nestene Consciousness, an extraterrestrial, disembodied gestalt intelligence which arrived on Earth in hollow plastic meteorites. 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 sheen to the skin and a flat sounding voice. Their first attempt to invade the Earth, using these more human-looking Autons to replace key government figures, was thwarted by UNIT with the help of the Doctor.

The Autons subsequently returned in the first serial of Pertwee's second year as the Doctor, Terror of the Autons, which also featured the introduction of the Master. A third appearance was planned for the aborted 1985 season during Colin Baker's tenure as the Doctor, but never materialized. Titled Yellow Fever and How to Cure It, it was supposed to be set in Singapore, with appearances by the Rani and the Master. The story, which was to be written by veteran scribe Robert Holmes, only exists in outline form.

The Autons have also appeared in a series of straight-to-video stories produced by BBV. They will also be returning in the BBC's new series of Doctor Who due to be broadcast in 2005.