Elisha Cuthbert returns to 24

Simon Brew

Spoilers contained within for next year's seventh series of 24. And it's going to give Jack Bauer plenty to concern himself with...

Any cougars who happen to be reading might find this their favourite story of the year. For Elisa Cuthbert, who played Jack Bauer’s daughter Kimberley, is returning once more to 24.

Kim Bauer started off, in the first season, as quite a good character, and was given at least some vaguely interesting material to work with. By the time the next season popped up, she was tied up as one of the aforementioned cougars was in the neighbourhood, leading to a collective WTF from many in the show’s audience. Thankfully, Cuthbert eventually left 24 after managing to bag a job for herself at CTU, in spite of being seemingly fundamentally stupid.

Still, she has made a fleeting appearance since, where we found out she was dating the soul man himself, C Thomas Howell, back in season five. And now, it seems, that Cuthbert has signed up for a clutch of episodes in the upcoming season seven.

She’s set to appear at the end of the season, and she’ll be without Mr Howell by her side. We’ll learn that their relationship has ended. But – what’s this? – apparently Kim Bauer is going to have a sprog with her. Just don’t call it Jack, and make sure you change its nappy at three minutes to the hour…

Season seven, meanwhile, could well turn out to be quite a reunion for characters we thought were long gone, with the bizarre return of Tony Almeida in 24’s very own Bobby Ewing moment. But we’ll get to see how it all hangs together in January.