How to watch The X-Files in the UK, US and abroad
The truth is out there (about how to watch The X-Files) – here’s everything you need to know
The X-Files, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, is often cited as one of the most impactful TV programmes of all time. What started in 1993 as a cult show morphed into a cultural touchstone of the 1990s.
The X-Files follows FBI agents Dana Scully (a sceptical medical doctor) and Fox Mulder (a special agent with a resolute belief in the supernatural) as they investigate unsolved FBI cases relating to various paranormal phenomena.
Spanning a whopping 11 seasons and comprising 218 episodes, Chris Carter’s creation has won multiple awards, totting up a total of 62 Emmy nominations and winning 16 awards.
At its peak, the sci-fi show garnered almost 20 million viewers. After season nine ended in 2001, the show returned for two more seasons 15 years later.
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And while it’s not for everyone – Richard Dawkins once complained that it “systematically purveys an anti-rational view of the world which, by virtue of its recurrent persistence, is insidious” – The X-Files is a classic if you’re into sci-fi, the paranormal or the supernatural.
At its conclusion, the show was the longest-running science fiction series in US TV history. It became a pop culture sensation and tapped into public mistrust of the government by embracing conspiracy theories and spirituality.
Whether you’re looking to returning to an old favourite or starting The X-Files afresh, we’ve rounded up all the places it’s available to watch – wherever you are in the world.
How to watch The X-Files in the UK: Amazon Prime Video
If you’ve got an Amazon Prime account, you’ll be able to stream The X-Files for free. All 11 seasons of the cult TV show are available on the platform, making for easy watching.
Plus, they’re all available to download onto your device(s), making that morning commute a whole lot more enjoyable. It’s also a much better option than watching this series home alone.
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If you’re yet to sign up to Amazon Prime, you can do so here. Prospective customers will get a free 30-day trial and it costs £7.99 per month or £79 per year (£6.58 per month) thereafter.
You’ll also get free next-day delivery on a world of items, which endlessly comes in handy. Plus, you’ll score exclusive access to events such the annual consumer shopping bonanza Amazon Prime Day.
How to watch The X-Files in the US: Amazon Prime Video
US-dwellers with a Prime account can also rejoice; series one to nine are available to stream or download for free via the platform. If you’re itching to watch seasons 10 and 11, however, you’ll have to fork out a tad more.
Season 10 of the show can be purchased for $1.99 per SD episode or $2.99 per HD episode. However, with only six episodes in the season, you might as well fork out for the entire season at $9.99 for the SD version and $14.99 for the HD one.
Meanwhile, the eleventh season of the show, which premiered in 2018, is also available to buy for $1.99 per SD episode and $2.99 per HD episode – although you can buy the season in its entirety for $9.99 for either SD or HD. We know which one we’d opt for, given the identical prices, but to each their own…
The sad news for US residents is that The X-Files is no longer on Netflix, so if you’re looking for a streaming platform on which to watch the cult show, Amazon Prime is your best bet.
How to watch The X-Files abroad: Use a VPN
Meanwhile, if you’re travelling abroad and don’t have access to Amazon Prime Video – denying you those hours whiled away watching The X-Files – you can always use a VPN. Apart from letting you circumvent annoying geo-blocks, a good VPN service will also shield all your browsing activity from your ISP, mobile service provider and hackers.
To watch The X-Files using a VPN service, simply choose a good VPN service, log in to your account, choose UK or US as your location, then log in to your Amazon Prime account. We’ve rounded up the best virtual private networks for watching The X-Files, so you can watch Mulder and Scully’s antics wherever you are in the world.
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Express VPN: Among all the VPN services we tested, ExpressVPN has the fastest speeds, especially if you’re connecting to UK and US servers. It’s one of two VPN services to have its entire service audited to prove that it doesn’t log or store any user data. Apart from this, it has 24/7 customer support and you can use it on five devices at the same time, making it a great option for your family or a group of friends.
NordVPN: NordVPN shares many of the same qualities as ExpressVPN, including a thorough service audit, 24/7 customer support, online tutorials, usage on multiple devices simultaneously and so on. It has a nice map-based interface, so you can choose the country you want by dragging and clicking the country name. It’s much cheaper than ExpressVPN and you can save 75% if you opt for its three-year plan that only costs £82.40.
Surfshark VPN: Surfshark VPN is a great option, especially if you’re on a budget. Prices start at just £1.59 per month and it can be used on an unlimited number of devices at the same time. While the service isn’t independently audited like ExpressVPN and NordVPN, the company has a strict privacy stance. Surfshark VPN boasts a strict no-logs policy, which means no online activity is monitored, logged or shared with any third party.