London, baby!
Could we BE anymore excited!?
The Friends episode with the group going to London is a favorite of the Trainline crew. Though Joey may miss Café Perk and pizza, we think he had a swell time touring the sights of London.
The best part about the Friends London episode? You can reenact the whole thing — save for the half-destroyed church, squabbling over who pays for the wedding, and having your ex throw one heck of a curveball in your nuptials.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Alexander Spatari. Image Location: London, England
The one where they go to London (without Phoebe)
As if you need a refresher on Friends; any fan who watched the series as it first aired has rewatched it over and over again on VHS, DVD, streaming, and on the endless reruns that are still thickening the casts’ wallets.
But, if it’s been a minute since you’ve seen the Freudian slip in the Season 4 finale, here’s what you need to know about the Friends Lisbon episode.
London! We meant to say London!
What is the Friends London episode called?
Technically, there are three Friends episodes in London: “The One With Ross’s Wedding” is a two-parter (Season 4, Episodes 23 and 24) and the first episode of Season 5, “The One After Ross Says Rachel”, starts with the gang still in London.
Why didn’t Phoebe go to London for Ross’ wedding?
Phoebe stayed behind in New York while the gang went to London for Ross’s wedding because she was pregnant with triplets. In real life, actress Lisa Kudrow was pregnant (not with her brother’s children) and was unable to join the rest of the cast in the UK for the Friends London episode.
How much of the Friends London episode was filmed in London?
The cast, minus Lisa Kudrow, flew to England for filming the London episodes of Friends. Most of the UK capital locations featured in the show — including Joey and Chandler’s sightseeing tour — were all shot on-location. The hotel rooms, church, and rehearsal dinner scenes were shot on a soundstage. Production built the sets in London and taped in front of a live studio audience.
Is The Wheatsheaf a real bar in London?
Much to Phoebe’s annoyance, the group kept dropping inside jokes and memories about their trip to London, including drinking Boddingtons beer at The Wheatsheaf. There are a handful of The Wheatsheaf pubs around London, and Boddingtons is a Manchester brewery. Logic says that they went (off-screen) to the location near the London Marriott in the Friends episode. However, the pub is near The British Museum, between Goodge Street and Tottenham Court Road Underground stations.
Image Credit: London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square
The one where the Friends London episode was filmed
It’s all London, baby! Here we go.
London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square
Closest station: Bond Street (Underground/Elizabeth Line)
The London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square is a lovely five-star hotel in London’s Mayfair district. It’s a solid spot to act as a homebase for exploring London, as Joey and Chandler did. Naturally, this London Marriott in the Friends episode is a good choice for hosting your wedding party — and while the actual room scenes were built on a soundstage, the deluxe guest rooms with king beds should be sufficient for secret copulation with your best friend’s sister.
St John’s Church
Closest station: Wapping
Good news, and even better news: the good news is that St John’s Church is a real church in Wapping. The better news is that it’s not in a state of partial demolition like it was when Ross and Emily said their “I do’s”. You can walk about Wapping High Street like they did and find St John’s on the corner of Scandrett Street and Green Bank.
Buckingham Palace
Closest station: Victoria | St. James’s Park (Underground)
During the Friends episode in London, Fergie makes an appearance — no, not the sensational singer from the Black Eyed Peas — Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York. Joey took a video of the two of them together in front of Buckingham Palace.
Image Credit: Getty Images, James Brittain. Image Location: Westminster Abbey, London, England
Westminster Abbey
Closest station: Charing Cross | St. James’s Park (Underground)
Filming the London episode of Friends followed the playbook of productions that came before and after it. We see shots of Tower Bridge, Big Ben, and other iconic landmarks during establishing shots. Joey and Chandler stop at a few, including Westminster Abbey, when Chandler was acting rather Westminster crabby.
Trinity Square
Closest station: Fenchurch Street | Tower Gateway DLR Station
You don’t have to go to Trinity Square to buy a goofy souvenir; and it’s unlikely that Richard Branson will sell you one if you do. However, Joey bought a Union Jack hat from the Virgin Group co-founder in the Friends London episode.
Fountain Studios
Closest station: Wembley Park
Anything that wasn’t obviously outside in London or in Monica’s apartment was filmed at Fountain Studios in Wembley, in front of a live studio audience (who absolutely went nuts at the post-wedding Chandler bedroom reveal).
🚆 Trainline tip: Make a note of Wembley Park’s Underground station and Wembley train station; they are the closest railways to Wembley Stadium which hosts the NFL games in London.
The one where you go to London by train
Do you ever have PHOMO — fear of missing out on London like Phoebe did? We’ll be there for you, if you’re there (on the correct platform) for us, too.
Download the Trainline app and we’ll give you the Rachel treatment: get you from your NYC arrival flight at Heathrow Airport or London Stansted to London city center so you can surprise your ex at their wedding.
Header Image Credit: Getty Images, Gary Yeowell. Image Location: London, England
