《老友记》剧组17年后重聚节目开拍 六位主角回归
The Friends reunion has been filmed in Los Angeles: Here's what we know

It's almost 17 years since pop culture's six most-famous friends were together on a film set, but The One With The Reunion was finally shot last week.

The special one-off show brought together the sitcom's original cast of Matthew Perry (Chandler), Jennifer Aniston (Rachel), Courteney Cox (Monica), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe), Matt LeBlanc (Joey) and David Schwimmer (Ross).

Set to air on the HBO Max streaming service, the reunion was originally due to be filmed last August but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A broadcast date is yet to be announced but it's expected to be over the next few months.

Friends was the biggest sitcom of the 1990s, and has found a new generation of fans (and critics) thanks to re-runs and streaming services like Netflix.

The original cast are executive producers on the reunion, alongside show creators Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman and David Crane, with Ben Winston as director.

So, what did the gang get up to when they got back together?

Filming for the Friends special took place on the show's original soundstage, Stage 24, on the Warner Bros lot in Burbank, California.

TMZ reports that while a live audience participated in the reunion, they were "mostly union extras, Covid screened and hired for the gig", after the pandemic prevented fans from attending.

The revived set - partially based outdoors for Covid safety protocols - includes the iconic water fountain that the cast splashed around in during the show's intro, sound-tracked by The Rembrandts' theme tune, I'll Be There For You.

It remains to be seen how many other props make an appearance, but pictures circulating on social media appear to show much-loved elements of Monica's apartment, including the sofa and the empty picture frame on her door.

Ever since HBO confirmed the reunion episode, speculation has been rife as to what extent, if at all, the cast will reprise their roles.

Speaking on the Graham Norton Show, Schwimmer appeared to provide clarity... until he didn't.

"I'll be myself. I'll be David", Schwimmer said of the unscripted special. "We're not in character ... we're all ourselves, the real people".

However, he quickly added a cryptic caveat suggesting otherwise: "But there is one section, I don't want to give away... where we all read something."

To be fair, clarity was never Ross's strength on the show. The debate as to whether he was "on a break" with Rachel still rages on to this day.

Jennifer Aniston provided more (or less) clarity (or confusion) about the issue while speaking to Variety magazine last year.

"I will not be Rachel, although I kind of am," she said. "Well, we're all sort of little fragments of them. Not really. But yeah."

Although details of the recording are yet to emerge, audience posts collated on social media suggest it was a real nostalgia trip.

One post from a Matthew Perry fan account also included a picture of an apparent Central Perk goodie bag - a reference to the café the group used to inhabit during most episodes.

As for the future of the friendship beyond the special... Well, in the words of Joey: "You can't just give up. Is that what a dinosaur would do?"