Director: Emeka Onono
Executive Producers: Craig Hunter and Joe Sharp
Production Executive: Paul McCaffery
Production Company: STV Studios Factual
Presenter: Dr Chris van Tulleken
Broadcaster: BBC Two
Screen Scotland support: The film accessed £100,000 through Screen Scotland’s Broadcast Content Fund.
Synopsis
Produced by STV Studios Factual in partnership with The Open University, the documentary sees virologist Dr. Chris van Tulleken embark on a global investigation into the most urgent science story of our time: the hunt for the pathogen that could trigger the next pandemic, and the cutting-edge science developed to tackle it.
Known only as ‘Disease X’, it is shrouded in uncertainty. Its origin is unknown and how it could spread is unclear, but its impact could be much more severe than Covid-19.
To uncover what Disease X might be, where it could emerge, and what traits it needs to spread, Chris follows the paths of past deadly viruses. He visits the ground zero of the Nipah virus in Malaysia, which inspired the film, Contagion. He also heads to the frontline of the ongoing bird flu outbreak in US dairy cattle in California.
For this Horizon documentary, Chris’ journey covers four continents - Europe, North America, Africa and Asia - with each location revealing a new piece of the puzzle. Along the way, Chris meets survivors and the scientists who have dedicated their lives to stopping the tiny microbes that are humanity’s deadliest and oldest enemy. He also learns how state-of-the-art scientific solutions are being developed to take on the global threat of a Disease X.
As Chris follows a trail of biological and environmental clues, he uncovers the warning signs that the world cannot afford to ignore. But the most startling revelation comes as the investigation deepens. Despite the terrifying existential threat Disease X poses, we have created the conditions that could allow it to grow closer to home than we ever imagined.
This is a journey of discovery with life-or-death stakes, serving as a wake-up call for everyone.
More information
Streaming: Disease X will air on Monday 22 September at 9pm on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer
Production: Disease X, a 1 x 60' film for BBC Two and iPlayer, is made by STV Studios Factual – the team behind BBC Two documentary, Unvaccinated – and co-produced by The Open University, with support from Screen Scotland. It was commissioned by Jack Bootle, Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual for BBC Two and iPlayer, and the Commissioning Editor is Tom Coveney, Head of Commissioning, Science.