First look at the Friends Reunion with Matthew Perry and co-stars in tears as they reminisce on the cult show

IT’S been a long wait, 17 years to be precise, but the moment has finally arrived.

Since filming ended the cast members have only all been in the same room again once before, until now.

Read our Friends reunion live blog for the latest updates

Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer share their behind the scenes secrets from their days on the sitcom.

And it’s like having a hot cup of tea on a cold winter’s day - soothing and familiar.

It might have been decades since they last played their characters but old habits die hard with David turning up first on the set of the show in true Ross style.

He was shortly joined by Lisa Kudrow who noticed a beam that had been removed for getting in the way had been put back.

A teary eyed Jennifer was next who looked straight for the tissues, then Matt, followed by Courtney in tears and Matthew.

You can’t help but want to cry with them.

As Matt gently dried Courtney’s eyes when she burst into tears, it felt like the years were fading away since the last episode.

As the original credits rolled, nostalgia takes over but they’re not quite what you remember - they are cut with moments from the reunion episode alongside the iconic fountain scene.

It cuts away and the group are introduced by host James Corden as they filled out to chat in front of the iconic fountain sat on the chairs from Central Perk.

It was like they had never been away from the set

Ahead of spilling secrets, James switched off the fountain as the cast slipped back into old habits.

Jennifer said: “It’s been so fantastic and exciting, we’ve slipped right back, like we usually do.”

She added: “We regressed back to our 20s.”

I think the same can be said for the fans who will be slipping back into their teenage years.

But it's hardly a surprise as being propelled to stardom on a TV show is something that bonds people together for life.

David said: “No one was going through what we were going through.

“Our family couldn’t relate. Our friends — our closest friends — couldn’t relate. They were there for us, but the only people who really knew what it was like were the other five.”

Despite not being all together since they left, the cast are still in close contact and will always answer each other's calls and texts.

In true Chandler style, Matthew joked: “I don’t hear from anyone.”

It’s no surprise that the show felt so realistic because creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane based it on their time in New York learning to make their way in the world.

They pulled the characters from their family and friends as they attempted to find love and make money.

They wanted to follow all of the characters, David saying “It’s about the time in your life when your friends are your family.”

And for many viewers, Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe and Monica did become family.

Their relationships on the show inspired people to make the most of their own life, and some ordinary people featured in the reunion admitted they asked their other half to marry them in the same way as Chandler did to Monica.

While fans might remember almost everything, the same can’t be said for the cast.

"If they didn't laugh I felt like I was going die"

It has been a decade since they last filmed, and in an updated version of the quiz which caused Rachel and Monica to lose their flat, the girls and guys struggle to get their questions right.

Not a single person could remember their draconian and depressive neighbour Mr Heckles but Matt was able to recognise his hand twin.

But there was one thing that Matthew has remember and it has haunted him for years.

He said: “I felt like I was going to die if they didn’t laugh. It’s not healthy for sure.

"There were times when I said a line and they wouldn’t laugh and I’d sweat and like go into convulsions. If I didn’t get the laugh I would freak out.”

As he makes the confession, you can feel your heart breaking along with his former co-stars as Lisa reveals they didn’t know how hard he found it.

He added: "I felt like that every single night."

But it wasn't doom and gloom for the whole show, Reese Witherspoon looked back fondly on playing Rachel's sister on the show.

She said it was a "dream come true" and to have Matt say Joey's iconic line to her was "Thrilling".

She said: "I think friends had this magic because each character was so defined they could hold a TV episode by themselves.”

For fans hoping for another show in a few years time, it's disappointing news.

Lisa told James: "They ended the show very nicely. Everyone’s lives are very nice and they would have to unravel all those good things in order for there to be stories.

"I don’t want anyone's happy endings unravelled."

She added: "You have to grow up."

Just before the end of the show, Courtney confirms this idea.

She said: "This will be the last time we’re ever asked about the show as a group, we are not going to do this again in 15 more years.

"I’ll tell you one thing we’re not waiting so long to have a dinner."

While it was nice to hear the cast's stories, I would have liked to see what Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey and Phoebe had gotten up to in the intervening years. 

Was it worth the wait? Probably. 

• Friends: The Reunion is on  Sky One at 8pm on May 27