| Mechonoid | |
|---|---|
| Doctor Who race | |
 A trio of Mechonoids as they appear in The Chase. | |
| First appearance | The Chase (1965) |
| Created by | Terry Nation |
| In-universe information | |
| Home world | Mechanus |
| Type | Robots |
Mechonoids (sometimes spelled "Mechanoids") are fictional robots who appear in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, in episodes 5 and 6 of the 1965 serial "The Chase". They were conceived by writer Terry Nation, designed by Raymond Cusick, and built by Shawcraft Engineering.
In the story, the Mechonoids are robots sent to the planet Mechanus to prepare for an Earth colony. The colonists never arrived, but the self-repairing robots built and maintained a city. When the First Doctor and his companions arrive on Mechanus, they struggle to communicate with the robots. A team of time-travelling Daleks appears, pursuing the Doctor and his friends, and the Mechonoids defend their city in a ferocious battle. Both the Daleks and the Mechonoids are destroyed in the fight, allowing the Doctor and his companions to escape.
Intended as an enemy of the series' most popular monsters, the Daleks, it was hoped that the Mechonoids would prove equally crowd-pleasing, appearing in further stories and selling merchandise, as the Daleks had. Unfortunately, the bulky Mechonoid props proved burdensome in the studio, and the producers quickly decided that there would be no return for the creatures. Several toy Mechonoids were offered for sale, but could not compete with the best-selling Daleks. The Mechonoids were included in comic book stories as enemies of the Daleks in 1965 and 1966, and they have appeared sparingly in later spin-off Doctor Who material.