Shaun Majumder, the Canadian comedian known for his role on This Hour Has 22 Minutes, is about to debut on the action series 24 as a terrorist.

Majumder will turn up in the third and fourth hours of the hit U.S. series, locked in battle with fellow Canadian Kiefer Sutherland who plays federal agent Jack Bauer.

Shaun Majumder suspends his sense of humour for a role as a terrorist.
(CBC)

The man he plays, Hasan Numair, is first glimpsed as a prisoner garbed in a bright orange jumpsuit and, Majumder says, he's a very bad dude.

Majumder can't reveal exactly how bad because 24 likes to keep its plot twists secret. The segment will air next Monday.

"It's going to be an odd twist for Canadian fans, isn't it? They're going to be waiting for a joke," says the 34-year-old Newfoundlander.

On This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Majumder plays the somewhat damp Hindu reporter Raj Binder, as well as a clueless news anchor.

He has appeared at the Just for Laughs Festival, on Fox comedy series Cedric the Entertainer Presents and in the movie Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.

Majumder says he spends part of each year in Los Angeles, looking for U.S. parts.

"I have to say that if you don't live here, opportunities like this don't come along," he said.

He welcomes the chance to show he's more than a comedian. "What it does is it gives people who only see me in a comedic light a surprise that I can do drama," he said.