It has been confirmed that Jack Bauer, the Federal Agent played by Kiefer Sutherland, is to die in an upcoming episode of Fox's high profile TV Series Twenty-Four. The twist comes as a surprise as most avid viewers had considered Sutherland's character to be the only bulletproof character in the show - although this description is not entirely inaccurate - whilst the cause of his death has not been revealed, it will not be from a fatal gunshot wound.

Kiefer Sutherland first hit TV screens as Jack Bauer in 2001 when his character endured a day which saw him framed for the attempted assassination of a high profile Presidential candidate, his wife and daughter kidnapped, a former girlfriend betray him – ultimately concluding with him cradling the dead body of his wife in his arms. The death of his wife at the end of the first season was proof 24 was prepared to go places most prime time TV series wouldn't – culminating in no fewer than 5 major characters killed off in as many seasons.

The twists and turns of the first two seasons soon led fans desperate to know what was going to happen before each episode aired, and soon spoiler sites sprouted up around the Internet with information from sources of a varying degree of credibility – ranging from factual snippets of information from crew members who work on the show to the fictional jokes often witnessed on IMDB.

However, after reading episode spoilers on the Internet, many of 24 fans complained that the TV show suddenly felt like it was becoming far too predictable:

“When I watched the first season of 24 I was on the edge of my seat at every twist and turn,” 24 addict Chuck Hankman revealed, “However, during Season 4, I would log on to a 24 spoilers site every week to find out what was going to happen in the next episode. Whilst what I read often sounded like a great idea – shooting down Airforce One, Jack having to sacrifice his lover's husband in order to save the country – when I finally saw these events on the TV screen six days later the magic of Season 1 had gone. If only I could go back to the shock I felt at the twist of finding out Alan York was not who he claimed to be.”

Consequently, the 24 writers have been forced into taking radical action to keep their fans on their toes – killing the previously indestructible Jack Bauer.

Many fans have suggested that should their hero be killed they would stop watching the show and therefore the decision to kill him would make no sense. Others have pointed to the 24 movies being planned, and the already confirmed 6th Season as evidence that Jack will survive his 5th longest day.

Keith Wilson, a spokesperson for Fox, explained these were the very reasons Jack Bauer had to die now:

“Fox has already committed to a 6th Season of 24 and as a result that will be filmed regardless of ratings – and despite what some people think, we actually believe the death of Jack will result in an increase in ratings. Whilst it is true that a huge core of Jack Bauer fans do exist out there, there are also a lot of people who feel the Jack-centric nature the show has adopted recently undermines the real reasons it became so exciting in the first place.

“If Jack were to die, all the people who loved Jack would still tune in for a few episodes to see what the show was like without him – and trust me, they are still going to love what we've got in store – but we'd also attract the minority who were put off by him. It's a calculated risk, but one that will pay off.

“Secondly, with a series of movies planned, we can still keep the Jack Bauer character alive by visiting a lot of the memorable events in his past. Project Nightfall, for example, is something everyone has longed to see and with most of the characters involved in it now dead on the TV Series we would be able to push ahead with both productions almost simultaneously.”

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