Kiefer surgery stops filming on 24

Kiefer Sutherland is to undergo surgery for a minor injury suffered on set of the new series of 24, forcing production of the show to grind to a halt.

The star and executive director of the hit show - who plays special agent Jack Bauer - suffered a ruptured cyst while shooting in New York last week, and filming has been postponed by 20th Century Fox Studios for the next few days until he recovers.

Kiefer's representative told the Los Angeles Times: "While Kiefer Sutherland is frustrated to miss even one day of work, he and Fox decided together that it would be best to complete this minor elective procedure now as a precaution as opposed to six weeks from now when production wraps. He looks forward to returning to work next week."

Fox said in a statement: "We are temporarily suspending production of 24 while our friend and colleague Kiefer Sutherland undergoes a medical procedure. We hope to resume production shortly and do not anticipate any disruption in the broadcast of this season's episodes."