Friends fans have tuned in to watch the beloved sitcom following the death of star Matthew Perry, causing streaming numbers to have a large uplift.
Perry, who died on October 28, played one of the core six characters – Chandler Bing, who was known for his sarcasm and comedic timing.
Between October 23 and 29, the American series gathered 583 million minutes of viewing on Max, a US streaming platform.
This was up 31% on the previous week’s numbers and the highest figure since January, reports Deadline, suggesting viewers tuned in to watch the series in tribute to the late star. This caused the figures to rocket just hours before the week’s figures closed.
UK viewers can watch the full ten series of Friends, which ran between 1994 and 2004, on Netflix.
After Perry’s death, the first series of the Emmy-award-winning show entered the platform’s top 10 chart and it remained there for two weeks.
While Perry was excellent in every episode, the actor once revealed his favourite out of the 236 on offer – The One with the Blackout.
In the seventh episode of the first series New York has a sudden power outage and Chandler is trapped in a small room with Victoria’s Secret model Jill Goodacre.
‘The interesting thing about that episode was I didn’t speak much. It was mostly in voiceover,’ Perry told Entertainment Weekly.
‘We prerecorded what I said, and I had to react.
‘I [remember] spitting my gum out, and it stuck to the wall. It was my choice to just stay frozen in fear and embarrassment.’
Perry sweetly recalled how much he enjoyed watching his five co-stars – Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer – record their scenes as an ensemble without him during the 2004 interview.
‘What was great about that night was that I was also able to watch the other three-quarters of the show, which was these five great actors doing ensemble work that was amazing.
‘This was the first time I realised, “Gee, this is really clicking”,’ he said.
His Friends colleagues have paid tribute to Perry with heartfelt social media posts.
Most recently Jennifer, 54, has asked fans to help support a cause close to Perry’s heart.
She called on her 45million followers to support his foundation, set up to realise Matthew’s ‘enduring commitment to helping others struggling with the disease of addiction’.
‘For #GivingTuesday please join me and Matty’s family in supporting his foundation – which is working to help those suffering with addiction,’ wrote Jennifer in her online plea.
‘He would have been grateful for the love.’
Perry was found dead aged 54 at his Los Angeles-area home. He was laid to rest on November 2, with his loved ones gathering to say goodbye at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles’ Hollywood Hills neighbourhood.
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Friends is available to watch on Netflix.
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