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'Friends' Is Now Streaming On Netflix In The UK, Putting 2018 Off To A Great Start

Could we be more ready for the most epic Netflix binge ever?
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Entertainment Editor

If you’re anything like us, then New Year’s Day is good for one thing and one thing only: curling up in your duvet and wishing you’d put your best foot forward for the rest of the year.

Well, if that sounds anything like you - or even if it doesn’t, and you just fancy a few nostalgic chuckles to kick off 2018 - then Netflix has got you covered.

Yes, all 10 series of ‘Friends’ are now available on the UK streaming service.

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Oh, yes!
NBC via Getty Images

Last week, UK Netflix dropped a hint that ‘Friends’ would be gifted to us before long, with this tweet that had all the subtlety of Joey Tribbiani clumsily asking someone, “how you doin’?”:

As ‘Friends’ fans grew excited over the rumours, Netflix confirmed the news right after midnight on New Year’s Eve, with a message referencing the show’s infamous catchy theme tune:

And so, if you made a couple of choice decisions on New Year’s Eve, we recommend firing up Netflix and reliving the many mistakes of Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Ross and Chandler to make yourself feel a little bit better.

Despite the last episode (which should really be called ‘The One Where Rachel Got Off The Plane’ but that would probably have been a bit of a spoiler back in 2004) airing more than a decade ago, the appetite for ‘Friends’ has never really died down, with repeats showing constantly on Comedy Central here in the UK.

Last year, five members of the original cast appeared on television together for the first time since 2004, in a special show that paid tribute to US sitcom director extraordinaire, James Burrows.

Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing, was unable to attend due to a prior commitment, but did appear in a video message that aired during the special.

11 Minor Friends Characters We Wish We'd Seen More Of
Jack and Judy Geller (Elliott Gould and Christina Pickles)(01 of11)
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Whether they're being wildly sexually inappropriate, insensitive to their daughter or putting everybody in their place, the arrival of Monica and Ross's parents always guarantees an eventful episode.

While Jack and Judy are the recurring characters with the most guest appearances (20, if you're interested), we'd still like to have seen them a little more often. (credit:Warner Bros via friends.wikia.com)
Susan Bunch (Jessica Hecht)(02 of11)
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Sadly, Susan was never seen past the sixth series of Friends, which is a real shame as we loved her long-standing frosty relationship with Ross.

We particularly enjoyed her blasé putdowns, which she managed to deliver with an iciness we aspire to. (credit:Warner Bros)
Bonnie (Christine Taylor)(03 of11)
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A woman who will shave her head in the middle of a beach holiday just because someone planted the mere suggestion in her mind. Amazing.

We know Rachel wouldn't have been thrilled by the prospect, but we definitely wouldn't have minded Bonnie sticking around for more than two episodes. (credit:Warner Bros)
Eddie Menuek (Adam Goldberg)(04 of11)
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As Chandler's brief time living with Eddie grew to a close, he became an even more odd creation, but it would have been great if the writers had cranked things up another notch with his strangeness, or at the very least showed us what happened when he was shown the door.

Where did he go? Who does he live with now? How is his cherished pet, the goldfish cracker? These are the questions we need answers to. (credit:Warner Bros)
Amy Greene (Christina Applegate)(05 of11)
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It's always great when one of the characters' family members arrive, because they remind you of how they used to be – and that's never more true than when Rachel's sister Amy arrives on the scene.

Amy is even more spoilt, and cares less about other people's feelings, than Season One Rachel, though with slightly less iconic hair. (No offence to Christina Applegate, of course). (credit:Warner Bros via friends.wikia.com)
Frank Buffay Jr and Alice Knight Buffay (Giovanni Ribisi and Debra Jo Rupp)(06 of11)
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Joey was the character who went on to end up with his own spin-off, but we think it definitely should have been Frank and Alice.

Who honestly wouldn't want to watch a show about a man who marries his home-economics teacher, then raises triplets – that his sister gives birth to – with her? It would have been an Emmys shoo-in. (credit:Warner Bros via friends.wikia.com)
Amanda Buffamonteezi (Jennifer Coolidge)(07 of11)
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Phoebe and Monica made the unwise decision to "cut out" Amanda, but frankly we'd have happily seen her stay until the finale, for the dancing alone. (credit:Warner Bros)
Mr Heckles (Larry Hankin)(08 of11)
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The great thing about Mr Heckles, especially watching earlier series back, is that it reminds you just how young the characters were – and what a nightmare that group of twenty-somethings would have been if you lived near them... (credit:Warner Bros)
Erica (Anna Faris)(09 of11)
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...conversely, by the time Erica arrives in the tenth season, her youthful naivety proves just how far the six principal characters have come.

We can't help but feel the fabulous and funny Anna Faris was criminally underused, and it would have been nice to see her stay around exploring New York for a while longer, rather than her few fleeting appearances. (credit:Warner Bros via friends.wikia.com)
Gunther (James Michael Tyler)(10 of11)
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True, Gunther did feature in quite a lot of episodes, but how much do we know about the man behind the fluorescent hair?What does he do at night? Where does he live? What are his hopes? His dreams? His fears?Actually, it's probably best not to know... (credit:Warner Bros)
Marcel (Katie the Monkey)(11 of11)
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Just because. (credit:Warner Bros via friends.wikia.com)
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