BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- How odd that Canada's Kiefer Sutherland and Scotland's Robert Carlyle are fuelling the next version of America's favourite action series.

"Yeah, and a Canadian director in Jon Cassar as well, so there are quite a lot of Canadians involved in 24," Carlyle said. "I don't know. I think they all stick together."

Another theory might be that Canadians and Scots are teaming up to take over the world.

"Ah, my friends," Carlyle said, referring to Canadians in general. "I'll take that."

Carlyle, who is known for his roles in movies such as Trainspotting, The Full Monty and Angela's Ashes, has a crucial role in 24: Exile, the 24 prequel that will air this fall on Fox and Global. Exile primarily is set in, and primarily was filmed in, Africa.

Carlyle plays Carl Benton, who trained with Jack Bauer -- Sutherland's character -- many years earlier.

"What was interesting, I guess, was that I was touching him (to get his attention), saying 'Jack' and stuff like that, but nobody touches f----- Jack Bauer," Carlyle said with a laugh.

"But then they said, 'OK, you're the only guy who can touch Jack Bauer.' Kiefer loved that."

Of course, most people who touch Jack Bauer wind up dead.

"Yeah, you're afraid," Carlyle said. "Even his girlfriend doesn't touch him, just in case."

Carlyle and Sutherland have been friends for many years.

"I had worked with Kiefer before in a movie called To End All Wars," Carlyle recalled. "We shot that in Hawaii and we've kept in touch ever since. He always has been saying, 'Come and do 24.' Uh, OK!

"They had been interested in me doing a long-running character in it, maybe two seasons ago, and that didn't quite work out. I was doing other things. But this one came and I thought, this is perfect. (Benton and Bauer) have a history but they haven't seen each other for 10 years, and that's the amount of time, almost, that Kiefer and I hadn't seen each other. So we played up that relationship."

So, we guess that means that even though they've kept in touch, Carlyle didn't visit Sutherland in jail last winter, when he was serving seven weeks on a drunk-driving charge.

"No, I wrote to him in jail," Carlyle said with a warm smile.

Snagging an actor of Carlyle's quality certainly is a coup for 24, although his busy film career probably eliminated the possibility of the role extending into the seventh season of 24, which begins in January. When Sutherland was asked if the actors in Exile would carry over into the seventh season, he said, "I'm not so sure about Bobby (Carlyle), but yes, almost all of the other characters will carry over."

Uh-oh. In the world of 24, you know what that usually means. But whatever happens to Carlyle's character, he has relished the opportunity to work with Sutherland on such a high-quality show.

"In broader terms, American television over the past eight years or so has been fantastic," Carlyle said.

"And it was great catching up with Kiefer. He's a lovely guy, a great guy. A gentleman."

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