Friends: the end

JOEY The one who loves sandwiches, the New York Knicks, his mom but above all, women ("How YOU doin'?"), an actor whose career highlight was to play Dr Drake Ramore in Days of Our Lives, although he's never been the sharpest tool in the box. In real life Matt has starred in the prophetically named Lost in Space PHOEBE The one who is a New Age singer-songwriter (see especially "Smelly Cat") on the coffee-shop circuit, masseuse, sometime taxi driver, free spirit with an evil twin sister, Ursula. In real life Lisa Kudrow is the most successful and versatile actor of the Friends ­ Romy & Michele's High School Reunion, The Opposite of Sex ­ who at nearly 38, can't pretend to be 30 too much longer ROSS The one who is Monica's brother, a palaeontologist, favourite of his parents, devotee of hair gel, once lived with a monkey called Marcel, thrice married ­ to Carol, a lesbian, Emily (Helen Baxendale) and, after a night in Vegas, his on-off object of affection, Rachel. In real life David Schwimmer starred with Gwyneth Paltrow inThe Pallbearer RACHEL The one who is obsessed with short skirts, shopping and finding Mr Right (see Ross), made famous THAT haircut (sadly defunct), was dysfunctional waitress, and now works in fashion. In real life Jennifer Aniston married Brad Pitt last July and has starred in Picture Perfect, and in She's The One with Ed Burns and Cameron Diaz CHANDLER The one who works as a data processor in a Byzantine bureaucracy, hides his insecurity behind sarcasm, had a string of short-lived relationships before falling in love with Monica, and whose father ran off with a man and now runs a club called Viva Las Gaygas. In real life Matthew Perry has been in drugs rehab and has starred opposite Bruce Willis in The Whole Nine Yards MONICA The one who used to be the fat kid in High School, is now a chef, a control freak with a heart of gold, and a disappointment to her family (see Ross), especially after she dated family friend Richard (Tom Selleck). Courtney Cox's big break in real life was an appearance in a Bruce Springsteen video, also star of the Scream trilogy, recently estranged from actor husband David Arquette

[Scene: Central Perk. Chandler, Joey, Phoebe and Monica are there.]

Monica: "There's nothing to tell! He's just some guy I work with!"

Joey: "C'mon, you're going out with the guy! There's gotta be something wrong with him!"

Chandler: "Alright Joey, be nice. So does he have a hump? A hump and a hairpiece?"

Phoebe: "Wait, does he eat chalk?"

Looking back all these years later, it doesn't seem the most earth-shattering of exchanges. Little did we know at the time, but that inauspicious beginning ­ the start of an episode sub-titled "The One Where Monica Gets a New Roommate" ­ marked the start of a television phenomenon. In its own way Friends, with its twentysomething storylines, its Gap clothes, its goofy jokes and its double-skinny-latte lifestyles was a show that helped define a generation.

At least, it did until now. David Schwimmer, who plays the character Ross, was this weekend quoted as saying that the ninth series ­ filming for which is due to start in August ­ will be the last. "It's sad, but enough is enough," Schwimmer was reported as saying, during a break in northern France. "We have all agreed that this will be our final year."

It may be a little premature, Friends fans will protest, to reach for their handkerchiefs. After all, there have been previous, incorrect reports predicting the end of the show since it was first aired in September 1994. And yesterday in the US, NBC said negotiations were still underway. "Friends will remain in production and original episodes will continue to air," it said in a statement.

But at the same time, there is a feeling that Friends may finally have run its course and that a good thing ­ at times a very, very good thing ­ may at last be coming to an end.

Part of the problem, it seems, is that audiences have, after all this time, grown tired of the trials and tribulations of the six chums ­ and weary of the plots that try to wring so much from what, in effect, are so few dramatic possibilities. With fresher alternatives such as Sex and the City, viewers may have lost their obsession with what goes on in that New York coffee shop. After all, how many times can Ross and Rachel get together and then split up? How many times can Joey act like an ass? How many times can Phoebe pick up her guitar and play some "hilarious" song in which Monica may or may not be made to rhyme with Caridina japonica?

In part, the feeling of claustrophobia that former fans claim now to sense ­ one critic described the recent marriage between Chandler and Monica as less like romance than incest ­ is a result of the show's premise.

The original idea for the series was dreamt up by three New York writers: David Crane, Marta Kauffman and Kevin Bright. All struggling scriptwriters in Manhattan themselves, they hit upon the idea of writing a series about the sort of people they knew and the lives they shared, while sitting whiling away their time in coffee shops very similar to show's Central Perk (still a great one-liner in itself). A number of names for the show were suggested. "Six of One", "Across the Hall", "Once Upon a Time in the West Village" were among the titles rejected before they hit upon "Friends Like Us". The last two words were dropped at the last minute. "The name Friends is warm and inclusive," Bright once explained. "Everybody can feel part of their lives as well."

It is not as though the writers ­ a team of 13 are employed on each script ­ have not tried to break out of the confines presented by the show's setting and characters. Over the past seven years all manner of actors have entered the Friends world, sometimes making a cameo appearance, others staying for longer.

Helen Hunt and George Clooney had brief, fleeting roles. Julia Roberts, Bruce Willis, Billy Crystal and Tom Selleck have all flashed their smiles, while Isabella Rossellini, Charlton Heston and Ralph Lauren played themselves. The British actress Helen Baxendale played Ross's second wife, Emily, allowing the writers an excuse to take the Friends to London in one now-famous episode.

All this has made the six central characters into big name stars. Jennifer Aniston, who plays Rachel and who single-handedly created a new hairstyle for women, is now the wife of Brad Pitt. Courteney Cox, who plays Monica, is married to the actor David Arquette. Both are now said to be planning families.

The exposure ­ the episodes still attract 21m viewers in the US ­ has also turned these once little-known actors into wealthy people. After a recent wage strike by the cast, new contracts were negotiated under which they each now earn US$1m (about £700,000) for each episode. This ninth series of 24 episodes will earn each of them around £18m.

Given this profitable partnership, one might think the cast would wish to keep the gravy train rolling. As Aniston once said: "I think we'll eventually become Old Friends with colostomy bags. And then there'll be one of us and it'll be called 'Friend'."

But there are other problems. One is that the Friends may actually be falling out in real life. One unidentified production "source" was quoted recently as saying: "They don't exactly get on that well any more." And then there is the issue of Matt Perry's drug addiction. The actor, who plays Chandler, has been in and out of rehab clinics, displaying noticeable weight gains and losses from series to series.

So perhaps rather than being sad, we should all just be grateful for what we have seen over the years. Rather than mourn the loss, we should celebrate what we've shared.

Let's be grateful for Winona Ryder in the episode entitled "The Lesbian Kiss", let's remember Joey being dazzled by Elle Macpherson, let's shudder at the moment that Richard Branson managed to get on to the set.

We should enjoy it while we can. Few things stick together forever. Sometimes, not even the best of friends.