TV fans can finally binge Friends for free in UK again after 15 years

Grab your cosiest pyjamas, your softest blanket, and brew that stovetop hot chocolate, because your winter night plans are sorted for the forseeable future.

After a 15-year-long drought, Friends is returning for free on British TV, so if you are really overdue for a catch-up, then you’ll soon be able to binge it all.

What’s even better is that it’s returning in January to Channel 4.

This means that when the high of Halloween and Christmas festivities has dwindled, and we’re only left with cloudy days with spring seeming further away than ever, you can whack some Friends on.

Friends first aired on Channel 4 and E4 throughout the 90s and 2000s, introducing audiences across the pond to one of the biggest sitcoms of a generation.

Now, with 10 seasons and 236 episodes landing on the streamer imminently, new fans will get to choose their favourite between Ross (David Schwimmer), Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Monica (Courteney Cox), Chandler (Matthew Perry), Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) and Joey (Matt LeBlanc), and who they can’t stand.

After leaving Channel 4 and later E4, Friends arrived on Netflix UK for several years, where it would regularly enter the streaming platform’s most popular section.

But fans were sent into a spiral last year when it was taken away, eventually finding itself on the newly launched HBO Max streaming platform in the UK.

And while it will still remain there, for those not interested in paying an extra monthly fee to access the show, Channel 4 has swooped in to the rescue.

‘Its witty, character-led comedy and lasting popularity make it a natural fit for Channel 4. Cherished by long-time fans and continuing to attract new viewers, it will complement the distinctive programming across our slate,’ Channel 4 content strategy boss Kiran Nataraja said.

Meanwhile, Polly Scates, who struck the Channel 4 deal, added: ‘Most of us remember exactly where we were when we watched the Friends finale. This iconic series has enduring appeal and continues to bring together audiences of all ages.’

Friends returns to Channel 4 in January 2027.

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