'The Fall' is the latest crime drama to come to our screen, a five-parter starting tonight on BBC2, starring Gillian Anderson as a senior detective drafted to Northern Ireland to investigate the murder of a young lady.
Anderson has revealed that her character Stella Gibbons, a hardened officer who has no qualms about inviting strangers she likes the look of back to her room for casual sex, made her realise how child-like her breakthrough 'X-Files' character was in comparison.
Anderson confessed: "When I've been asked about the differences between the two of them, suddenly it occurred to me that Scully was quite square.
"She was quite prudish and always behaved correctly and wouldn't necessarily be wearing lace panties.
"In comparison Stella is quite comfortable with herself, comfortable in her skin, is a lot more feminine than Scully ever was."
Gillian Anderson stars as Stella Gibbons in 'The Fall' - five-parter thriller starting tonight
Anderson has revealed she always sees her 'X-Files' character Dana Scully as a child playing at being a detective.
The 44-year-old actress starred opposite David Duchovny in the cult hit show from 1993 to 2002 and feels like she grew up on the programme.
She admitted: "For a long time, Scully felt quite childlike, and part of that was because I was a child when I started to play her and audiences got to see me grow up and grow into her. But whenever I see her, she seems like a 12-year-old pretending to be an agent."
The actress previously explained how she had been offered many Prime Suspect-esque scripts before 'The Fall' came up, but she accepted this one because it had "complexity and depth".
The Fall begins on BBC Two on Monday 13 May.