Twenty-seven years after Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Joey hit our screens, they all came back for a reunion show dubbed 'The One They Get Back Together', 17 years after the last episode aired.

The beloved characters have kept their original fans (and new ones) repeatedly laughing long after the excellent 90s sitcom ended.

After 10 seasons of "the one with" greatness, this is everything you need to know about Friends: The Reunion, including how to watch it and how to catch up with the previous seasons of Friends.

Friends: The Reunion release date, when is it out?

Friends: The Reunion, The One They Get Back Together, aired on 27 May 2021.

Filming of the show took place on the show's original soundstage - Stage 24 - in Burbank, California after delays due to the global pandemic. It was originally due to be filmed in March 2020 and released in May 2020 in line when HBO Max launched so the release date was the same time frame, just one year later than planned.

How and where to watch Friends: The Reunion Special

Friends: The Reunion special is shown exclusively on HBO Max's streaming service in the US. The same place the Sex and the City revival - And Just Like That - was shown.

In the UK, HBO and Sky have a programming deal, which is due to continue for another few years. The deal is for HBO Originals rather than those commissioned by the streaming service but Sky made a separate deal for Friends: The Reunion.

It is available on Sky On Demand and Now in the UK and Ireland if you missed it.

HBO Max

How many episodes will there be Friends: The Reunion?

Friends: The Reunion is a one-off special so it's not a series. It is 1 hour 55 minutes long.

What happens in the Friends: The Reunion special?

Spoiler alert. We'd advise you not to read this section if you don't want us to spoil any element of Friends: The Reunion for you. We won't go into too much detail, but the surprise is part of the fun.

What we will say is the characters appear as themselves, rather than portraying their Friends characters 17 years on. So it's not another episode of the beloved show, but rather a look back on it with a revisit to the set, sharing of behind the scenes footage and reminiscing. The behind the scenes footage is excellent and there are a couple of secrets revealed too, including why Ross and Rachel made such an excellent on-screen couple.

A live audience was there for the filming of the Reunion show and some of the classic props make an appearance, including the iconic fountain and Monica and Rachel's apartment, as well as Central Perk.

Along with reminiscing, the characters read from scripts of some of the best episodes and it's pretty remarkable how well they manage to recreate scenes from years ago just sitting around a table. There's also a quiz - like the one where Monica and Rachel lost their apartment to Chandler and Joey.

Who is in the Friends: The Reunion Special?

All six of the original cast members appear in Friends: The Reunion. That means you'll see Jennifer Aniston (Rachel), Courteney Cox (Monica), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe), David Schwimmer (Ross), Matthew Perry (Chandler) and Matt Le Blanc (Joey).

The original six cast members are all executive producers of the show, alongside Ben Winston, who also directs. Other executive producers include Friends' original creators Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffma and David Crane. Emma Conway and James Longman are also involved, and a couple of the classic characters make appearances too but we won't tell you who.

Celebrity guests include James Corden - who hosts, along with Reese Witherspoon, Kit Harrington and Lady Gaga. David Beckham also appears.

Is there a Friends: The Reunion trailer?

Yes. HBO Max released the official trailer for the show prior to it being aired, which you can watch below. It gives you a little more in terms of what to expect from the show but if you're in two minds about whether to watch the actual show, we would say do as we thought it was great.

Where to catch up on Friends seasons 1 to 10?

You can watch all 236 episodes of Friends season 1 to 10 on Netflix in the UK.

In the US, the 236 episodes are all available to stream on HBO.

Don't worry if you didn't manage to watch them all in the run up to the Reunion show, they will always be there for you.