“Saved” Friends Script Featuring Iconic Episode Sells For Incredible Sum at Auction

Summary

• Friends scripts from season 4 finale sold for £22,000 ($28,000) at auction, thanks to being saved from a bin 25 years ago.
• The enduring popularity of Friends, especially with the recent passing of Matthew Perry, contributed to the high auction price.
• The show’s deep bond among the cast and its lasting impact on pop culture are evident in the reunion and the outpouring of love for Matthew Perry.

Scripts from the ever-popular U.S. sitcom Friends have been sold at auction for a huge amount, after being retrieved from a studio bin back in 1998 following the filming of the season 4 finale.

Friends

Release Date September 22, 1994

Seasons 10

Studio NBC

The recent passing of Matthew Perry in October 2023 sparked a renewed wave of interest in Friends, which aired its final episode 20 years ago. Although it seems that there will never be a time when Friends is not popular, the current focus on the series has no doubt contributed to the significant sum raised by a recent auction of scripts from the show, which were only made available for sale thanks to being saved from a bin decades ago. As reported by the BBC, the intriguing auction, which featured scripts from season 4, ended up fetching a massive £22,000, equating to $28,000.

The scripts themselves were recovered by a former staff member at Fountain Studios, where the finale of season 4 was filmed back in 1998. Having been savvy enough to see the worth in the scripts, they have been kept safe for 25 years, and that has resulted in a huge pay off. The scripts included the season 4 finale, in which Ross famously ruined his wedding to Emily (Helen Baxendale) by saying the words, “I take thee, Rachel.” Originally, the scripts were expected to bring up to $1000, but that estimate was very quickly surpassed, with the auction drawing in over 200 pre-sale bids from all around the world. The scripts were eventually sold to an unnamed “international” buyer.

Related: Friends: The 10 Most Romantic Gestures We Saw on the Show

Friends Is Still One of the Most Popular Sitcoms in History

NBC

Friends, which ran from 1994 to 2004, started out as just another sitcom, but by the end of its 10 season run, had become a global phenomenon that has not lost any of its popularity. Starring David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Matt Le Blanc, and Lisa Kudrow, the chemistry among the cast members contributed to its successful run and its enduring legacy in pop culture.

The cast’s reunion in May 2021, which again thrust the series back into the public’s attention, showed the lasting impact of the show and the deep bond shared by its stars. The death of Matthew Perry came as a terrible shock to both his costars and millions of fans of the series when it was announced last year. The subsequent months have seen an outpouring of love for Perry, with many stars, including the cast of Friend, sharing stories of working with the actor, and or the show itself, which climbed back into the Top 10.

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