'The X-Files' without Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully isn't something that a vocal portion of the fan base thinks can work. Unfortunately for those very people, Anderson has confirmed that she will be leaving the series following the latest season, despite those working behind-the-scenes on the show and at FOX hoping she would have stuck with the show. So just how will the sci-fi series survive without Scully if it's to continue on into the future?

Gillian Anderson will no longer appear as Dana Scully in 'The X-Files'Gillian Anderson will no longer appear as Dana Scully in 'The X-Files'

There are a number of avenues the series could go down and fortunately, series creator Chris Carter already has some ideas floating around if he and the rest of the bosses working on the show decide to move forward with new episodes.

Speaking with Digital Spy, he explained: "I think that certainly 'The X-Files' has more life in it, there are more stories to tell, with Gillian or without. I’m sorry to see her go, I’ve never actually considered doing this show without her, so is this the end? It’s the end of something, I don’t know if it’s the beginning of something new. But certainly we will have to all put our heads together and figure out where to go from here."

He added: "I always thought of David [Duchovny] the way I thought about the child William [Mulder and Scully’s child], as an absent centre. Even when he wasn’t there, he was the centre of everyone’s concern, and the stories revolved around him. I think that’s an interesting problem for storytellers and I think that if The X-Files is to go forward then Scully would be a similar absent centre."

Carter is of course referring to when Duchovny took a leave of absence from the show, and how the series managed to survive without him, even using his not being around as excuse for some major storylines to be implemented.

If 'The X-Files' does live on, the show will obviously have to explain why Scully is no longer a part of the team. Episodes of her final season were already filmed before Anderson officially announced she was leaving, and so it's not something we expect to be explained before the current season comes to an end. Because of that, there surely has to be a future for the series. The answers are out there, and we need them!

More: Gillian Anderson Explains Why She's Quitting 'The X-Files'

The new series of 'The X-Files' airs on Channel 5 in the UK.