Friends reunion: What stars of the show have been up to

The show will air at 8pm on Sky One on Thursday, May 27, and will be available to air on demand from 8am.

Friends was one of the biggest sitcoms on the planet in the 90s before it ended in 2004 and now the show has a new generation of fans thanks to streaming services such as Netflix.

The special episode will air on Sky as a trailer was released on social media earlier this month.

The clip shows all six original cast members - Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer – walking arm-in-arm across a studio lot.

The show's return is arguably the biggest TV news of the year as the full cast will reunite for the first time in more than 20 years.

To add to the excitement HBO has also revealed a star-studded line-up of celebrities who will appear as themselves.

They include David Beckham, Justin Bieber, BTS, James Corden, Cindy Crawford, Cara Delevingne, Lady Gaga, Kit Harington, Tom Selleck, Reese Witherspoon and Malala Yousafzai.

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But what has the original cast been up to while the show has been off air? 

Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston played Rachel Green for 10 years on Friends (Ian West/PA)

After 10 years of playing shopaholic Rachel Green on Friends, ms Aniston focused on her film career, enjoying box office success across drama and comedy.

Notable roles included 2006 romcom The Break-Up alongside Vince Vaughan and 2008 tearjerker Marley & Me, also starring Owen Wilson.

She made her return to TV in 2019, starring alongside Reese Witherspoon – who played her sister in Friends – in Apple TV+ drama The Morning Show.

It has been a hit with critics and won Ms Aniston, 52, a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Meanwhile, Ms Aniston’s personal life has continued to attract intense interest.

News of her separation from former husband Brad Pitt in 2005 sparked a media frenzy.

Ms Aniston married the actor Justin Theroux in 2015, but they split on good terms two years later.

Courteney Cox

Courteney Cox played Monica Geller on Friends and will be returning for a special (Ian West/PA Wire)

After middling success in the years following Friends, including roles in films Zoom and The Longest Yard, Ms Cox scored a hit with the TV comedy Cougar Town, which first aired in 2009.

She played a recently divorced mother in her 40s, looking for new experiences following the collapse of her marriage.

It ran for six seasons until 2015.

Ms Cox will reprise the role of Gale Weathers in the fifth Scream movie, which is set for release next year.

The 56-year-old, who was married to her Scream co-star David Arquette for 14 years, has been in a relationship with Snow Patrol band member Johnny McDaid since 2013.

Lisa Kudrow

Lisa Kudrow played Phoebe Buffay on Friends (Ian West/PA)

Ms Kudrow played the lovable eccentric Phoebe Buffay on Friends. Her first major role following the show was in HBO series The Comeback, which premiered in June 2005.

Ms Kudrow was never far from TV screens following Friends, with roles of varying weight in shows including Cougar Town, BoJack Horseman, Angie Tribeca, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Scandal.

Ms Kudrow’s post-Friends film roles have included Bandslam (2008), Easy A (2010), The Girl On The Train (2016), Long Shot (2019) and Booksmart (2019).

The 57-year-old has been married to French advertising executive Michael Stern since 1995.

David Schwimmer

David Schwimmer will join his Friends co-stars for an unscripted special on HBO Max (Isabel Infantes/PA)

Following the Friends finale, Mr Schwimmer starred in the independent drama film Duane Hopwood as an alcoholic dealing with the collapse of his marriage.

His directorial debut came in 2007 with British comedy Run Fatboy Run, starring Simon Pegg.

Mr Schwimmer, 54, earned acclaim for his portrayal of OJ Simpson lawyer Robert Kardashian in the anthology series American Crime Story.

The former Friends star received an Emmy nomination for the role.

Mr Schwimmer has a daughter with British artist Zoe Buckman.

Matthew Perry

Mr Perry, 51, is known to millions of fans as Chandler Bing.

Since leaving Friends, his film roles include 2009’s 17 Again alongside Zac Efron.

Mr Perry was the co-creator, writer and star of short-lived sitcom Mr Sunshine, which premiered in 2011. The following year he appeared as a sportscaster in NBC comedy Go On.

Mr Perry has had a public battle with substance abuse. In 2013, he received an award from the White House for opening Perry House, a sober living facility at his former mansion in Malibu, California.

Mr Perry will appear in star-studded black comedy Don’t Look Up alongside an ensemble cast including Leonardo DiCaprio when it arrives on Netflix later this year.

He got engaged to Molly Hurwitz, a literary manager, in November 2020.

Matt LeBlanc

Former Top Gear host Matt LeBlanc will rejoin his Friends co-stars for a reunion special (Isabel Infantes/PA)

Mr LeBlanc’s character, the womanising but lovable daytime soap actor Joey Tribiani, had his own spin-off in the months following Friends’ ending.

Joey ran for two seasons but was cancelled due to poor ratings.

Following a five-year break, Mr LeBlanc played himself – though a slightly embellished version – in comedy series Episodes, winning a Golden Globe for the performance.

Mr LeBlanc, 53, a passionate petrolhead, had a three-year stint co-hosting Top Gear during the show’s post-Jeremy Clarkson years.

He announced his decision to step down in 2018.