Mark Rylance revealed “alarm bells” rang when he along with the rest of the population were urged to have the Covid-19 vaccine leading him to opt for a garlic solution and vitamin C instead.

The actor, 63, only had a change of heart when he had to travel to the US to see his father.

He co-wrote Dr Semmelweis with the playwright Stephen Brown before the coronavirus pandemic happened.

The actor, in an interview with The Sunday Times, said the play acts as a warning not to take the scientific establishment at its word since the start of the pandemic.

“Science started to sound like a religion,” he said. “And really science is no different than religion, just an attempt by men to describe reality.”

Mark added: “I was not convinced I needed it. I took a very distilled garlic solution every morning, and vitamin C, and I sailed through Jerusalem.”

On writing the play he was focused on the alternative cancer treatments that were available to patients.