The X-Files is to return to TV after a 13-year hiatus with David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson reprising their roles as FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.

Chris Carter, the original creator of the cult sci-fi show, will be at the helm when production starts this summer.

It is not yet known when it will air on TV.

The X-Files, which ran for nine seasons from 1993-2002, saw Fox Mulder and Dana Scully investigate unsolved mysteries and paranormal cases.

More than 200 episodes of The X-Files were made, making it the longest-running sci-fi series in US network TV history. Two feature films were also made – in 1998 and 2008.

Chris Carter said: “I think of it as a 13-year commercial break.

“The good news is the world has only gotten that much stranger, a perfect time to tell these six stories.”

Dana Walden and Gary Newman, of Fox Television Group, said: “We had the privilege of working with Chris on all nine seasons of The X-Files – one of the most rewarding creative experiences of our careers – and we couldn’t be more excited to explore that incredible world with him again.

“The X-Files was not only a seminal show for both the studio and the network, it was a worldwide phenomenon that shaped pop culture – yet remained a true gem for the legions of fans who embraced it from the beginning.

“Few shows on television have drawn such dedicated fans as The X-Files and we’re ecstatic to give them the next thrilling chapter of Mulder and Scully they’ve been waiting for.”

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