Today was just like any other for entertainmentwise, chewing the fat of a Wednesday morning with the President and First Lady. Well, as good as anyway, as 24�s Jean Smart and Gregory Itzin talk Presidents, Power and Plot lines.

Season 5 of the Emmy award winning 24 is due for DVD release in the UK this November and the popularity of the series shows no signs of stagnating. Day 5 accumulated 16% more viewers than the previous series, attracting over 13 million in the US.

This was in no small part down to the White House�s newest inhabitants, Charles and Martha Logan, whose day throws up more than its fair share of marital difficulties. �I just had so much fun�, muses Jean Smart, �what we were seeing of Martha was really all about what happened behind closed doors. We see them as real flesh and blood people and not that sort of public persona�. But can being the First Lady of America go to the head? �It is funny� Smart agrees �as people do react to you a little bit different, there�s something about playing the First Lady that�s not like playing other characters. I remember one time I went to NY, and sort of embarrassed myself. I got to the hotel and went upstairs and as I turned the corner to go towards my room I looked straight ahead and there it is � it says �Presidential Suite�. I thought �No, they didn�t!�, looked at my key and realised �No, they didn�t�. It was the room next door!�

�I�ve actually had people change the way they talk to me� reflects Itzin, �as if I was suddenly something I wasn�t before and that�s a bit pissy!�. Surely playing the most powerful man in the world can�t be without its benefits? �Absolutely!� he agrees. �First of all when you�re playing the President, you don�t give a damn about other things! So there�s a certain good baggage that goes along with the bad baggage. What do I play next though, the Pope, God?�

The supporting cast of 24 have a notoriously poor survival rate, �it almost became the style of the show to kill off regular characters�, nods Smart, �I thought I might die towards the end, but I was just glad I made it through the finale!�. The show is just as famed for its serpentine plot twists and season five is no exception. �The writers, lots of times would change their minds about which direction they were going week to week� explains Smart. �It�s really like jumping on a speeding train, never quite knowing where it�s going, because at times you�re going �Oh my God is this gonna make sense? You just trust them, and because the show was already successful, that gave you the confidence to just play the truth of every moment and trust them to put it all together the way they always do.�

24 seems to have locked horns with The West Wing recently in a battle for the title of best political US drama, but Itzin shrugs off suggestions of any rivalry between the two shows. �Not amongst us. Perhaps amongst the producers, because you know there�s always a pissing contest going on between them!� In fact, their respective First Ladies have been oiling the wheels of goodwill, as Smart and West Wing First Ladies Stockard Channing and Geena Davis are good friends. �When we were all nominated for Emmys we were invited to Allison Janney�s house for dinner�, explains Smart, �I had the best time, I screamed with laughter all night! They were the funniest women.�

Despite the tempestuous nature of the Logan�s relationship, there seems to be life after 24 for the pairing of Smart and Itzin. Aside from confirmed roles in Season 6 of the show, �I want to do something with Jeannie somewhere along the line� says Itzin. �We�ve talked about doing a play together� confirms Smart, �we did one 20 years ago.�

But what of their successors, when they�re finally evicted from the White House? �I�ll be very jealous when we see the new President and whoever his wife�s going to be� answers Smart �Very jealous!� Perhaps a political smear campaign is the answer? �There you go!� she laughs �Let�s start now, let�s get on the internet!� 

'24' Series 5 is available to buy on DVD November 6...go get it.