<byline><![CDATA[20th Century Fox, 15, 1080minsDavid HutcheonΓÇÖs insider view]]></byline>
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<body><![CDATA[Has Britain lost its appetite for edge-of-the-seat dramas? After the success of the first two seasons, the viewing figures of 24ΓÇÖs third series halved within weeks. Those who missed out now face the sort of choice Jack Bauer has to make at least once an hour: do they want to get back on board televisionΓÇÖs most exciting white-knuckle ride? First, a warning: even if you were previously able to suspend disbelief as Bauer saved America from assassins and nuclear bombs, credibility is stretched beyond breaking point this time. How, you may well ask, is President Palmer running for re-election when he surely died in the last series? And would America stand for him appointing his brother as chief of staff? And who at the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) employed Kim (Jonah) Bauer? The fact that a deadly virus is about to lay waste to America will seem incidental as you contemplate the coincidences that bind these episodes to those that have gone before. Sitting at home, it is irresistibly moreish, but as recurring characters start biting the dust, you may wonder if that was the only way they could avoid being sent into space for series four. ]]></body>
