Whether you can quote every episode or you've sporadically enjoyed re-runs on the TV, Friends is undoubtedly one of the most popular - and beloved - sitcoms in the world. The show, which started in 1994 and ran for a decade, launched the careers of Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and the late Matthew Perry.

And while the cast has remained real friends since the show ended, Lisa Kudrow has opened up about what it took to build solid, healthy relationships with one another in real life.

In a podcast episode of Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, she explained that mastering 'respectful communication' was important for them all, and emphasised that all the actors 'really did get along'. She said: "We also worked hard at being friends. That six-way relationship took some work and we did it."

Lisa also added that she 'had to learn to be' more direct if something was bothering her, saying: "If someone said something or did something, it didn't get too big because it was like, 'Can I talk to you?'... I never knew that was allowed. But I saw it modelled really well by Courteney and Jennifer and Matt."

In the past, Matt Le Blanc shared that Friends director James Burrows had 'encouraged [them to] all get along and get to know one another and be kind to one another.' Lisa confirmed that the director had even given the stars his dressing room so that they could 'connect', saying: "I think it was sort of unspoken, but we instinctively felt like we need to be friends, we need to get along, we need to connect. And so we started playing poker and Jimmy gave us his room so that we can have a bigger hangout room for us."

She also added that she's still happy to discuss Friends and her experience on the show, thirty years after it first aired, saying: "It's a blessing. I'm too grateful."

Following the news of Matthew Perry's death last weekend, celebrities and royals have been sharing tributes to the Friends actor. The 54 year old, who played Chandler Bing in the sitcom for ten years, was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his home in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles on Saturday. 

His former co-stars, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and Courteney Cox, released a statement on Monday sharing that they are 'devastated' by the news, writing: "We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family. There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss. In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world."

Before his death, Matthew Perry was open about his struggles with addiction and his path to sobriety, and in 2022 he spoke about the Friends co-star that supported him throughout his recovery. 

In an interview with ABC News’s Diane Sawyer in an October last year, he said that Jennifer Aniston was 'the one that reached out the most', saying: "You know, I’m really grateful to her for that."

He also added that she was the first of his co-stars to discuss his drinking, continuing: "Imagine how scary a moment that was... I should have been the toast of the town, but I was in a dark room meeting with nothing but drug dealers and completely alone."

In his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Matthew detailed his experience of addiction and expressed why he wanted to share his story in an interview on the Q with Tom Power podcast when he said: "The best thing about me, bar none, is if somebody comes up to me and says: 'I can’t stop drinking. Can you help me?' I can say yes and follow up and do it."

Friends star Matthew Perry has died, aged 54. The actor, who played Chandler Bing on the popular sitcom for ten years, passed away in an apparent drowning at his home in Los Angeles, according to reports. 

His representative and law enforcement told US media that the star was found at his Pacific Palisades home, with Sky News and BBC News reporting that he was found unresponsive following a 911 call at 4.07pm local time (12.07am UK time). A Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson told the BBC it was treated as a 'water emergency' although he was not named. 

Friends aired between 1994 and 2004 and became one of the biggest US sitcoms of our generation, with Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc appearing alongside Perry for a decade. The show's finale became the most watched TV episode of the noughties with 52.5 million viewers tuning in in the US, and Friends is widely considered to be one of the most successful shows of all time. 

Warner Bros Television Group, which produced Friends, released a statement following the news, saying: "We are devastated by the passing of our dear friend Matthew Perry. Matthew was an incredibly gifted actor and an indelible part of the Warner Bros Television Group family. The impact of his comedic genius was felt around the world, and his legacy will live on in the hearts of so many. This is a heartbreaking day, and we send our love to his family, his loved ones, and all of his devoted fans."

NBC, the network which aired the series, also shared a statement, which read: "He brought so much joy to hundreds of millions of people around the world with his pitch perfect comedic timing and wry wit. His legacy will live on through countless generations."

Many have flocked to social media to shared their condolences, with actor Selma Blair taking to Instagram to write: "All of us loved Matthew Perry, and I did especially. Every day. I loved him unconditionally. And he me. And I’m broken. Broken hearted. Sweet dreams Matty. Sweet dreams."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: "Matthew Perry’s passing is shocking and saddening. I’ll never forget the schoolyard games we used to play, and I know people around the world are never going to forget the joy he brought them. Thanks for all the laughs, Matthew. You were loved – and you will be missed."

Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.

Friends may have wrapped back in 2004, but the cast are still very much - well - friends. 

Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc said goodbye to their characters almost twenty years ago - meaning it has been over for twice as long as it was actually running for.

Feeling old yet? Same. 

But the actors have remained close over the years, with Courteney chosen as Jen's maid of honour when she married Justin Theroux, and Jen taking on the role of godmother to her daughter, Coco. 

This week, Jen, Courteney and Lisa reunited for a mini-reunion to celebrate Courteney being awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

The actor, who played Monica Geller for ten years, became the 2,750th person to receive the honour, and she had her Friends co-stars by her side. 

At the ceremony in Los Angeles, Jen stepped up to congratulate her pal, saying: "We're very honoured to be here today to speak on your behalf as your co-workers, your friends, your family, your sisters. To be friends with Courteney is to be family with Courteney and she is responsible for all of that.

"[Courteney] instilled into all of us, into our DNA, to support each other and to love one another, and that actors need to support and love one another, not compete with one another.

"Those wise, wise words have stayed with me – I learned them as a young 20-something-year-old actor and that really set me on my path as a young woman and being able to create relationships that I cherish to this very day."

We're not crying, you are.

Friends fans might think they know everything there is to know about the sitcom - from the fact that Rachel Green was almost written out of the show to why Monica's apartment was painted purple. 

The show ran from 1994 to 2004 but its popularity lives on almost two decades after that tear-jerking final episode. The main cast - Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc - reunited for a Friends reunion just two years ago, much to the delight of longstanding fans who wanted to know if Ross and Rachel's romance ever crossed over into real life (answer? It very nearly did). 

But one cast member who has continued to enjoy huge success in Hollywood is Paul Rudd. The actor played Phoebe's partner Mike Hannigan for two years, and was there when viewers waved goodbye to the gang in 2004. 

However, it seems that the Ant-Man star has a few regrets about the part he played in the series finale, admitting that it felt 'strange'. 

During an interview on Heart Breakfast, he said that while filming the finale of the iconic show was 'fun', it was also 'surreal'. 

He said: "The whole thing was a bit surreal, I must say, to be a part of that. Because I came on really near the end... I never knew that I was going to be in as many as I was.

"But it also felt strange. I mean, I was in that last episode and I just thought, 'I shouldn’t be here. I’m getting a front row seat to things I’m not supposed to see.'"

His character Mike made an appearance in the last ever episode when Monica and Chandler welcomed their twins. 

Talking about the moment, Rudd said: "They were all crying, it was all emotional, and I was just like, 'Woah.' 

"I felt very privileged but I was like, 'Oh I just want to sit back here and not get in the way.'"

The actor spoke about feeling uneasy being part of such an historic show ending, telling Graham Norton that he attempted to make a joke with the cast as they wrapped - but it didn't quite land. 

He explained: "I was in the last episode, which made no sense to me whatsoever.

"So to break the ice I went over and just went, 'We did it, huh? What a ride.'

"The joke inevitably fell flat."

Awkward. 

Friends star Lisa Kudrow, who is known for portraying Phoebe Buffay in the nineties sitcom, has opened up about her battle with body confidence and insecurities when she was younger. 

The 59-year-old actor has admitted she never felt insecure about her appearance until she starred in the popular show, which ran for 10 years from 1994 to 2004. 

Speaking on Podcrushed podcast, Lisa said: "I thought I was just really skinny. I can do whatever, [but] no, especially in high school."

However, it wasn't until she starred in Friends and started to reflect on images of herself that she convinced herself she needed to make lifestyle changes. 

She continued: "I look at pictures and say, 'Wow, pictures really distort reality.' 

"And it wasn't until Friends that I realised, 'Oh, I don't look like I thought I looked.'

"And that's what was so jarring, and that's when it was like, 'Oh, I've got to actually lose weight? I have to diet? Shoot.'"

It wasn't only reflecting on the images, but starring alongside Jennifer Aniston, who played Rachel Green, and Courteney Cox, who starred as Monica Geller, which also contributed to her insecurities. 

She said: "It was just seeing myself on the show and seeing myself in clothes and seeing Courteney and Jennifer in clothes."

But it wasn't about how the garments were designed and tailored, which made her compare herself to her colleagues, as Lisa said: "It's not just about tailoring."

She continued: "And I'm not trying to say I was overweight, either. I was not. I just had no idea the shape of my actual body."

Lisa has come a long way since, and says she now accepts her body. 

She continued: "I just realised... it's okay. This is just what I look like. That's okay. Do what you need to do to be healthy, but this is your body and it's okay."

For Friends fans across the globe, the reunion was undoubtedly a highlight of 2021. David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Matt Leblanc, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry and Courteney Cox came together to talk about everything from their secret crushes on each other to where the characters would be today and it was an absolute dream for anyone who still binges the show eighteen years after the final episode aired.

Yes, it really has been that long. No, we won't stop talking about the fact that we'd still wear Rachel Green's wardrobe today and debating this fan theory about Ross Gellar.

But the die hard fans who were left wanting more are now calling for a reboot of the show and, to be honest, understandable. Who doesn't want to see what Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe are up to nowadays?

And it seems that Lisa Kudrow is all for a remake of the show. Yes, really.

However, she has one rather large condition - that none of the original cast star in it.

When asked about a reboot at the Better Than Nate premiere, she said: 'I mean, not with any of us in it, but a reboot, you mean like, they hire other actors?'

The interviewer posed the question about a comeback with new talent, to which she replied: 'I would love to see what the now version of that would be.'

So, while it's not impossible that Friends could return to our screens one day, it seems that it could be without the iconic actors who made the show what it is.

Would you still tune in?