Latest 'Doctor Who' plot depicts global virus outbreak in timely episode

The latest episode of Doctor Who came in an eerily timely fashion as Jodie Whittaker's time traveller had to deal with a contagious virus spreading across the earth.

The sixth instalment of the current series, which was filmed months in advance, aired in the same week which saw the World Health Organisation declare the coronavirus a global health emergency.

The Doctor and her companions split up in an attempt to battle the origin and cure the deadly Praxeus disease which had found its way to Hong Kong, Peru and Madagascar.

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It transpired the fictitious disease was alien in its origin, as it was spread by an extra-terrestrial bacteria that fed on micro plastics.

It comes as the coronavirus has has spread outside of China, the country of its origin, as over 100 cases have been identified in the UK, the US, Russian and Germany.

With the series being filmed last year, it cannot have been influenced by current events but it certainly gives the impression of a Simpson-esque prediction.

The Praxeus episode is not the first time an environmental message has been conveyed in the current Doctor Who series.

The third instalment entitled Orphan-55 saw the Tardis team thrown into the future where earth had been left uninhabitable after climate change and nuclear war.

The current series also made a significant step in terms of representation as it featured the first ever black Doctor.

Actor Jo Martin starred as a character named Ruth in the fifth episode who was eventually revealed to be a previously unseen regeneration of the Doctor.