‘Disturbing’ dark thriller series starring Gillian Anderson could be in for a surprise fourth season

Gillian Anderson is just one of those people you never get sick of seeing on your TV screen, so it's no wonder fans of the dark thriller series she starred in are desperate for another instalment.

The American actress, 55, is pretty clued up on crime dramas thanks to her legendary role as cold case-cracking FBI agent Dana Scully in The X Files, but its one of her other characters that viewers are still craving more of.

Does the tough-talking Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson ring any bells? Here's a reminder:

More than a decade ago, the world was introduced to the three-season crime-fest set in the mean streets of Belfast, Northern Ireland, titled The Fall.

Anderson starred alongside Fifty Shades of Grey protagonist Jamie Dornan and former Hollyoaks actor Emmett J. Scanlan in the chilling series which aired from 2013 to 2016.

I think it's safe to say the majority of people have watched it, loved it and watched it again - but if you have been living under a rock for all these years, here's a quick rundown on it.

The Fall centres around a cat and mouse game between Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson and grief counsellor Paul Spector, who has a terrifying thirst for blood and carries out sadistic, sexually-motivated murders.

The top cop is brought in to oversee the investigation into one of his killings in Belfast as its been active for more than 28 days, leading her on a dangerous path as she realises she is hunting for a serial killer who is terrorising local women.

BBC

While battling her own personal demons, Gibson tries to get inside the mind of the elusive killer dubbed 'The Belfast Strangler', while Spector hides his twisted hobby behind a family-man facade.

Viewers were treated to three epic seasons which certainly kept them on the edge of their seats, which culminated in - spoiler alert - Spector attacking his psychiatrist, killing a fellow patient and then killing himself.

This obviously rules Dornan out for a surprise fourth season of The Fall - but not the rest of the cast.

The series came to an end with a scene showing Gibson supping a large glass of wine while reeling from the outcome of Operation Musicman - with a vague hint that she may be taking on another case as disgraced cop Jim Burns gave up his position due to his persistent drinking problem.

At the time, the mastermind who created the series, Allan Cubbit, said that Anderson is 'up for playing Stella forever'.

And, as we all expected, the Hannibal star is a woman of her word - as she still can't shake her incredible character.

In an interview with the Belfast Telegraph in January last year, Anderson suggested she could reprise her role and that a season four of The Fall could be in the works.

BBC

The mum-of-two said: "It’s in the air, something is being worked on. She’s somebody that one could go back to at any point. That’s nice to know and I look forward to it."

She revealed she had initially been wary of taking on another character involved in law enforcement, but was completely infatuated by the script and just couldn't turn it down.

Anderson continued: "There have been times when I thought, ‘Oh, not again’, unless it’s something that feels like it’s almost the challenge, as much as anything, to find ways to make them as different as possible.

"I saw it on the page from the moment I started reading it. In fact, when we did the first round of press for it, I remember saying to journalists, ‘She’s important, we need her in the world’.

"There was something so spare about Al’s [Cubitt] writing. I immediately felt like I had to do it, and I knew who she was.

"I think she was incredibly empowering, both for me and for the audience."

Discussing whether Gibson could return to the screen to tackle another grisly case, she said that the show's creator 'has been ready to dip back in and revisit her' and that the show could have a similar comeback to that of Prime Suspect.