After months of negotiations and rumours, it has finally been confirmed that The X-Files will be back on TV, with David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson reprising their roles of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.

Although some early reports suggested that the series would comprise ten episodes, Fox has now stated that there will be six episodes in the “event series” which goes into production this summer, 13 years after the end of the original show’s run.

“I think of it as a 13-year commercial break,” creator and producer Chris Carter said. “The good news is the world has only gotten that much stranger, a perfect time to tell these six stories.”

“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,” said Fox TV Group chairmen Dana Walden and Gary Newman. “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.”

20th Century Fox TV and Carter’s Ten Thirteen Prods are creating the show; there is no confirmation yet on any other former X-Files cast or crew members’ involvement.