Downton Abbey star speaks out about Isis

Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery in a scene from Downton Abbey.

Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville has rubbished speculation that Isis the dog is being killed off because she shares her name with the terrorist group in the Middle East.

The actor, who plays Lord Grantham in the hit ITV period drama, branded anyone who had drawn such a conclusion a "complete berk".

Lord Grantham's Labrador was named after the Egyptian goddess, but unfortunately shares a title with one of the names used to refer to the jihadist group which has taken control of large areas of land in Iraq and Syria.

The most recent episode of Julian Fellowes's hit show saw the dog being diagnosed with cancer - sparking speculation on social media that TV bosses had decided to kill her off to avoid association with the terrorist group.

Bonneville placed a message on his official website where he wrote: "To clarify recent speculation, the Labrador that appeared in Series One (1912-14) was a dog called Pharaoh.

"From Series Two (1916-1920) onwards, the Labrador has been a bitch named - in keeping with the Egyptian theme - Isis.

"Anyone who genuinely believes the Series 5 storyline (1924) involving the animal was a reaction to recent world news is a complete berk."

Meanwhile, ITV has just announced it is commissioning a sixth series of the show.

The fifth season comes to an end on Sunday and has been watched by an average audience of more than 10 million viewers.

Producer Gareth Neame said: "We have had an amazing reaction to the storylines, acting and production values of Downton Abbey this year and the whole team is thrilled to be moving ahead with a new season of the show. This will provide audiences with a fresh opportunity to see what will befall our much-loved characters."

Production will begin on the new series early next year.

- PAA