BILLIE Piper is leaving Doctor Who at the end of the current series, the BBC has confirmed.

The Swindon star, who plays the doctor's sidekick Rose Tyler, might be killed off.

But the BBC has refused to say how she will be written out of the show or whether she will die in the final episode.

"It has been an amazing adventure and I can confirm it comes to an end, for now at least, as series two climaxes," the former Bradon Forest pupil said.

Writer Russell T Davies said the Doctor Who team had created "a stunning exit" for her character.

"The Doctor Who team have had a whole year to plan this final scene," he said.

"We will miss Billie and wish her all the success in the world for her future."

Billie, 23, is currently filming a BBC adaptation of Philip Pullman's Victorian thriller The Ruby in the Smoke.

"Rose and I have gone on the most incredible journey over the past two years," she said.

"I am truly indebted to Russell and to all the Doctor Who fans old and new who have been so supportive."

Speculation has been mounting over Rose's future on the programme, although the BBC had previously dismissed reports predicting her departure.

The series two finale, entitled Doomsday, sees Rose and the Doctor caught up in an invasion that threatens to destroy modern-day Earth.