Posted February 10, 201015 yr Repeats of the hit US comedy Friends will no longer be shown on Channel 4 and sister station E4 from next autumn. The sitcom, which stars Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer, has been a regular fixture on the broadcaster's schedules since 1994. Channel 4 said the move would free up funds for new shows and acquisitions. "After 15 years, 10 hit series and 236 terrific episodes, it's time to say goodbye to old Friends and welcome new ones," said Channel 4's Gill Hay. She added: "We are incredibly proud to have been the home of Friends for so long, but at a point when the channel is undergoing a period of creative renewal it felt like the right time to part company." Commercial success In a statement Channel 4 said it was hopeful the decision would "provide an opportunity to refresh the schedule" across both networks. Last year it was announced that Big Brother - another long-serving Channel 4 programme - would come to an end in 2010. Friends has been a huge commercial success in both the US and the UK. The series was based around six 20-somethings living in New York and yet to figure out where their lives were leading. As the years went on, the show charted their tangled romantic liaisons and life experiences. The characters - Ross, Monica, Phoebe, Rachel, Joey and Chandler - spawned catchphrases, calendars, notebooks, mugs, T-shirts, video and DVD box sets and even copycat haircuts. The last ever episode, from series 10, drew an audience of 8.6 million viewers to Channel 4 when it was screened in 2004. Since then, the show has been on constant rotation at Channel 4 and its sister station E4, where they continue to attract an average audience of almost 400,000. Channel 4's deal with Warner Bros International Television will end next autumn, after which cable channel Comedy Central will broadcast episodes from the series. (BBC News) I know have seen each episode a zilion times , but will still miss switching on channel 4 and watchin it in a morning then on E4 was having my tea, sad news:(
February 10, 201015 yr Don't worry, Comedy Central will be airing the show on repeat for the next few years at least.
February 10, 201015 yr I'm gutted about this, was also shocked to see it still averages 400k viewers for E4!
February 10, 201015 yr Hopefully they'll now show double bills of 'How I Met Your Mother' to take it's place :D Or even show more 'The Big Bang Theory' or 'Two And A Half Men'! :wub: Sad to see it go though, but it's about time as well tbh. :( I think I watch Comedy Central more than E4 nowadays anywya so I won't be affected, but everytime I felt like watching an episode of 'Friends' I knew that as soon as I turn to E4 9 times out of 10 it'd be on HAHA! Also helped me get over my hangovers on Sundays along with the Hollyoaks omnibus :heehee:
February 10, 201015 yr not bothered really...I never watch them on C4/E4 anymore, I have every episode on DVD anyway
February 10, 201015 yr Awww :( This is slightly devastating. Them and the constant repeats of Mock The Week & The Simpsons on various channels were always a nice way to fill up an empty 30 minutes.
February 10, 201015 yr we have reached a new dark ages guys. i brought the complete box set not long ago anyway, but still, end of a era, i remember a few years ago i used to get home from school, do f*** all then watch friends for an hour, every night for like 2 years.
February 10, 201015 yr Me and my housemates watch it every night either on E4 or +1 without fail. End of an era indeed. Still the greatest comedy ever made!
February 10, 201015 yr About time. Not sure quite what they'll replace it with. Between E4 and E4+1, I'm sure it's possible to watch Friends at any given time. It's basically double bill of Friends followed by double bill of some other rubbish followed by a double bill of Friends on that channel.
February 10, 201015 yr I'm very upset :( Guess I may need to buy the complete 10-series DVD box-set now But ending Friends & BB in the same year? I don't know how C4 & E4 will be able to fill up so much time The only way they can make this better is to replace Friends with a comedy I like nearly as much - "How I Met Your Mother". Basically, it's Friends, but with a different title
February 10, 201015 yr On their logic they should be canning The Simpsons :heehee: Fox still insist on renewing The Simpsons and giving it new episodes tho.
February 10, 201015 yr learn2read. I think he meant the it'd double bill of Friends followed by a double bill of Friends. And you put the second one as rubbish.
February 10, 201015 yr Surely anyone who likes the programme has seen each episode about 136 times by now. Let's hope they use all those hours of programming to show something that is actually funny.
February 10, 201015 yr They're getting rid of all their good programme's! :( E4 will never be the same.. ^ Seen each episode millions of times and they don't get old imo. :P
February 10, 201015 yr It's about time tbh.. 6 years after it finished is a bit too much. If it went on for much longer it'd be a bit of a joke. Here's to new programming!
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