Friends at 30 – the inside story: 'Matt LeBlanc ate so much beef trifle'

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From leather pants to monkeys, romance, oddly emphasised words, smelly cats and superstar special guests, the sitcom defined the 1990s. Here the writers and producers tell all …

It was on a night out in 1995 in Los Angeles that Friends writer Adam Chase realised the show had become a phenomenon. Out for dinner, while he was writing season two, he overheard a conversation. People weren't just talking about Friends: they were quoting it. "It became a constant," he says. "You would go out and you would hear at least one or two people quoting our jokes, arguing about whether they were a 'Rachel' or a 'Monica'."

That was just the start. Launched 30 years ago this month, the sitcom – which followed six twentysomethings living in New York, largely hanging out in the fictional coffee shop Central Perk – would become a cultural touchpoint for a generation. At its height, it was broadcast in 60 countries, each episode watched by 22 million viewers, all bewitched by sarcastic roommates Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Joey (Matt LeBlanc), uptight siblings Ross (David Schwimmer) and Monica (Courteney Cox), spoiled-but-sweet Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), and kooky Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow).