Gillian Anderson quits TWO dramas as she leaves both The X Files and American Gods

The actress announced that she was permanently leaving not one but two sci-fi TV shows at the same time, revealing that it was the end for Dana Scully and also her character Media from American Gods.

"It's time for me to hang up Scully's hat. It just is," The Hollywood Reporter quotes Anderson as saying. "I'm finished, and that's the end of that."

The classic sci-fi series starring David Duchovny and created by Chris Carter had a successful six-part return in 2016, prompting another five episodes for 2018.

However, Anderson has said that this is going to be the final outing for the special agent. "I arrived at the decision before we did the previous six," she said.

However co-star Duchovny didn't signal that this would be the end for the show, adding that it would be "good either way" if it continued without Scully or ended after the current run.

"I've tried to say goodbye to Fox Mulder many times and I failed," he said.

Anderson also addressed the future of her role in Amazon's American Gods - whose showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green quit after season one - saying that she would not be returning for the second season.

"I'm not doing any more American Gods," she said. "Bryan and Michael Green aren't either, as has been announced."

So there you have it. But it's not as if Anderson's taking a break - she's already set to star in two films due for release this year, The Spy Who Dumped Me and Andorra.