There are spoilers for the ending of 24 in this articleWell just get down to it, shall we?

How does it feel to be doing the last round of press on24 for a while anyway?

Well, yknow its funny…

It had fled my mind… Now that Im being asked, its all flooding back.

Its kinda like a high school reunion.

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I was, frankly, thrilled.

I almost let myself off the hook I would say.

I just wanted an ending that had some emotional integrity and honesty to it.

That was very much so.

We just needed the characters that we cared the most about.

Did she appreciate it as drama, or was she worried that it was the wrong thing to do?

She was concerned, and in a polite and professional way asked me: are you sure about this?

I said I was even though I wasnt but Cherry is so terrific, because she is so game.

She is, after all, human as heroic as she is, shes human.

The secret for Cherry and I think for us was that Taylor resurrected herself, that she righted herself.

How much fun was it to get your teeth in to that side of things?

It was actually a lot of fun!

Its interesting that you should use that word, because it was a lot of fun.

I think it was a lot of fun for Keifer as well.

But I think we found some iconic moments, even though they were tricky to navigate.

Also, the critics came to appreciate the ending…

Theyre very perilous things, endings.

And, by and large, theyre… disappointing, frankly.

I think most people are disappointed with endings, but I think that by and large ours was appreciated.

So, how heavily has the end of the series skewed any further intentions you had for the character?

I think we have to be rigorous.

Because if you dont hes just a ghost.

Now, Jack is as cut-off, as ghostly, as hes ever been.

He cant even hang on to the idea of patriotism that hes clung on to for so long.

The final shot of Season 8, the drone shot…

When was that idea locked as the final shot of the entire series?

Was it the final shooting done on the show, did the schedules fall like that?

It happened about two weeks before we shot it.

That line, in concert with the image on screen, to me…

I knew it was the cornerstone of the ending.

And she played that moment so beautifully.

Of the characters youve set against Jack in your time on the show, who have been your favourites?

So how did you feel about his ending?

Well, it was high time!

It was just a lucky appearance.

He became a very interesting character as he came back into the story very Iago-like.

This guy, hes a snake-in-the-grass and he cant help himself.

He came back into this story at just the right time.

It probably wouldnt have, had I not seen him the night before.

Logan is a character who, when we had last left him, could very well have been dead.

So the fact that he lived to fight another day is in true24fashion.

How much did you use him as that kind of character?

Thats 1000% correct.

Thats exactly who he is…

He our most venal, fearful, power-hungry selves; hes insecure and arrogant at the same time…

He definitely represents the worst of us.

And, yknow, I think its kinda both which is what makes it so much fun.

24is about the power of real-time; but its about the power of Jack Bauer in real-time.

I think Jacks a strong enough character that he could lead something thats not restricted by the real-time narrative… Ahhh, man, thats such a difficult question… Thats correct, yes…

…

So is that a concept youd consider revisiting?

What was the original reasoning for not taking that path?

Do you have any advanced projects youre working on outside of the world of24?

I actually have a novel coming out in January, believe it or not…

So Im just putting some finishing touches to that.

And when do you think well see that?

Well, I dont know its actually being written, so I dont even know if you will!

I have to say that it was literally within a minute.

Howard Gordon, thank you very much!

24 Season 8is out now andavailable from the Den Of Geek Store.