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Don Austen is a British puppeteer who began working for the Jim Henson Creature Shop in 1986 on the movie Labyrinth.

He was a valuable puppeteer for other blockbuster movies including Santa Claus: The Movie (1985), The Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), The Bear (L'ours) (1988), The Witches (1990), and Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999).

Austen's British TV debut was for six series of the irreverent cult ITV puppet show Spitting Image. (1989)

He would enjoy two Muppet movies: The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) performing inside both the Ghost of Christmas Present (dancing with Michael Caine) and The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Also The Muppet Treasure Island (1996) appearing briefly as Pirate Crew & Cannibals between TV commitments.

Austen voiced and puppeteered Sky One's DJ Kat for 2000-plus award-winning DJ Kat Shows (1989-95) and 200 Breakfast Shows as Earl E Bird on Channel 4's Early Bird (1991) EB's skiing and ballooning in Colorado a spectacular series finale.

During the weekly LIVE ITV Saturday morning show What's Up Doc? (1992-94) Austen teamed up with puppeteer John Eccleston to create a winning partnership writing and performing a run of British TV puppet favourites. Firstly, The Wolves, a.k.a. Bro & Bro, who within weeks earn their own spin-off comedy drama Wolf It! (1993-96) Five series.

Austen and Eccleston join BBC1's rival Saturday morning 3hr flagship Live and Kicking (1995-2000) devising cantankerous Leprechauns Sage & Onion - built by Darryl Worbey Studios.

As Mr. Sage, sporting a rather dodgy hairpiece, Austen writes and puppeteers comedy sketches year round for five years. Outliving three sets of in vision presenters he becomes the longest surviving 'presenter' (Eccleston taking time out to perform Rygel in the sci-fi series Farscape)

To cover Eccleston's brief sojourn an overbearing long lost sister joins the cast. 'Shamrock' was puppeteered by Rebecca Nagan. This series, hosted by Zoe Ball and Jamie Theakston, received a BAFTA in 1999. The Leps, as they were affectionately known, guest-starred on a wide range of British TV shows including; The French & Saunders Christmas Special; The Making Of Titanic (1998), Jim Davidson's Generation Game (1998), The National Lottery (1998), and GMTV for St. Patrick's Day Celebrations (1998 & 99)

During 1999, Austen was hand-picked by master puppeteer Frank Oz to help him portray Yoda in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. For this complex puppet, Oz would need three helpers, including Austen, David Greenaway and Kathy Smee.

Next a return to the Henson fold and all 250 episodes of BAFTA winning TV series The Hoobs (2000-02) Here he voiced and puppeteered the excitable, vulnerable purple Hoob, ‘Iver.’ The series being the largest ever pre-school commission by a UK independent. Gemini Award nominations for three consecutive years, "Best Performance In A Pre-School Series."

Austen's penchant for LIVE TV is seen again year round on the Saturday morning ITV series, Ministry Of Mayhem (2005) voicing and puppeteering Scratch - one half of riotous duo The Hyenas. Scratch & Sniff were the third Austen-Eccleston collaboration.

MOM changes format and is renamed Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown (2006) retaining presenters Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern from the previous outing. Scratch features large in the slimmed down line up. Austen was also called upon to write and voice the game commentary to ‘Supermarket Sneak’ and, further to his portrayal of Ozzy Osborne on MOM, performs in vision as Igor - the larger than life dancing Russian Cossack!

Austen notched up 5 series as voice and puppeteer on the BBC's Basil Brush Show playing evil Cousin Mortimer and naughty nephews Bingo and Bungo. The show was shortlisted for a BAFTA in 2006. Basil & Bingo performed at Buckingham Palace for the Children's Party At The Palace (2006)

Austen puppeteered ‘Wooly The Sheep’ in the Woolworths TV/radio commercials (2003-07) with Eccleston as side kick ‘Worth The Dog.’ The ad campaigns shot in London and Prague.

The Hyenas record 15 gameshows for Granada Kids – CITV (2006) Scratch 'n' Sniff's Den Of Doom.

Austen and Eccleston work on pilot for MTV. (2006)