Friends: The Reunion: How to watch and stream the most anticipated TV show of 2021

Could we be any more excited? Friends: The Reunion is the most highly anticipated TV event of 2021 and it is very nearly here.

HBO Max in the US has reunited Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Joey for a special episode that millions of fans have been waiting for since the show ended in 2004.

Friends: The Reunion – ‘The One Where They Get Back Together’ looks destined to be an emotional, joyous, heart-warming celebration of one of the best-loved and most-watched TV shows of all time.

The US sitcom continues to bring joy to millions around the world and the cast have got back together to look back at their personal memories, relationships and the impact the show had around the world.

Here’s everything we know about the Friends reunion special so far...

How to watch Friends: The Reunion in the UK

Friends: The Reunion TV special is available on Sky Max with a NOW Entertainment Membership.

Watch the Friends reunion trailer

What is Friends: The Reunion?

Jennifer Aniston (Rachel), Courteney Cox (Monica), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe), Matt LeBlanc (Joey), Matthew Perry (Chandler) and David Schwimmer (Ross) have reunited on the original LA set of Friends for a special to look back their memories of working together on the sitcom.

It has been produced by Ben Winston (The Late Late Show) and the original creative team behind Friends – Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman and David Crane.

Fans can expect previously unheard stories from the making of the series, emotional interviews with the six ‘Friends’ and special guest appearances from celebrity fans and the show’s most popular guest stars.

Who is taking part in Friends: The Reunion?

Joining  Aniston, Cox, Kudrow, LeBlanc, Perry and Schwimmer will be Maggie Wheeler, who played Janice, James Michael Tyler, who played Gunther, Tom Selleck, who played Richard and Reese Witherspoon who played Rachel’s sister Jill.

Who is presenting Friends: The Reunion?

James Corden will be presenting and interviewing the cast of Friends for the reunion special.

Who are all the special guests on Friends: The Reunion?

A stonking list of celebrity guest fans are also appearing on the show including David Beckham, Mindy Kaling, BTS, Justin Bieber, Kit Harington and Cindy Crawford.

Where is the Friends: The Reunion filmed?

The special was filmed on the original Friends soundstage - Stage 24, at the Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank, Los Angeles.

Is there going to be a new Friends episode or a new series?

Sadly, there are no plans for a new episode or series.

HBO Max released a statement confirming this, which read: "Lastly, in order to avoid any misunderstanding about what this special is, we want to make it very clear that this is not a new, original episode of the series. The cast will be appearing as themselves, not as their beloved characters."

Although cast members have occasionally shown enthusiasm for the idea of getting back together, the show’s creative team have always insisted that they wouldn’t revisit the show.

Matt LeBlanc probably explained best why a new series of Friends wouldn’t ever happen, when he said: “That show was about a finite period of time in life, after college and before your relationship and family starts and where your friends are your support system.

“That’s what the magic of the show was, everyone goes through that and can relate to that.

“It was those characters in a room relying on each other, and past that it’s not the same environment so I don’t see it happening.”

When did Friends end?

The hit sitcom ran for 10 years from 1994 to 2004.

The final episode, entitled The Last One, was watched by 52.5 million viewers in the US and by over 8.6 million viewers in the UK on Channel 4.

How to watch Friends in the UK

Seventeen years after it ended, the series remains a huge hit with repeats airing on Comedy Central and all 10 seasons available on Netflix UK.