Downton Abbey dog: Hugh Bonneville denies Isis was killed off because of her name

Actor denied claims in a statement released on his official website

Isis with Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville)

Hugh Bonneville has denied claims that the dog in the ITV television series Downton Abbey was killed off because her name is Isis.

The actor, who stars in the show, was responding to rumours that the Labrador was killed off because she shared her name with the Islamic State militant group.

In a statement released on his official website, 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.”

This week supermarket chain Tesco slashed the price of ISIS-brand television sets, but said the price cut was not linked to the negative connotations associated with the name.