I was a big fan of Friends in the beginning, following the series through most of the 90s and really enjoying it. I went off it for a while, came back for the last couple and then got tired of the endless loop of episodes shown on E4. Cut to a few years later, my young son discovered the series on Comedy Central and I began watching again, having forgotten how wonderfully written - and played - the earlier series were. Whilst in that period of re-discovering it, I found this book. David Wild clearly has a connection with the cast and some of his comments and little in-jokes can get grating after a while but he lays the book out well, interviewing the stars, executive producers and Janice and Gunther, giving a quick rundown of key points in each season and an episode listing. Lavishly illustrated - and, apart from the last chapter (when it really needed it), well labelled - this contains pretty much all you could ever need to know and if it does get a bit gushy in places, it’s also nicely candid at times, especially talking about the backlash and Matthew Perry’s various addictions. If you’re a Friends fan, as I consider myself to be, I’d say this was very much an essential read and I’d recommend it.