Friends stars discuss what their characters would be doing now

David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston and Matt LeBlanc at the 2002 Emmys

The stars of beloved US sitcom Friends have given their thoughts on what their characters would be doing now, ahead of their keenly anticipated TV reunion.

Matt LeBlanc thinks Joey would now own a chain of sandwich shops, while Jennifer Aniston believes Rachel would have her own clothing line.

Matthew Perry, meanwhile, told People magazine that Chandler would now be "a wonderful father and comedy writer".

People spoke to the stars a week before Friends: The Reunion is screened.

The sitcom's six lead actors recorded the TV special on the show's original sound stage in April, and it will be streamed on HBO Max in the US from 27 May.

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Friends ran from 1994 to 2004 and made its actors international stars. Until now, though, they have spurned the chance to reunite en masse.

Lisa Kudrow, who played the eccentric Phoebe Buffay, said the occasion had been "emotional", while LeBlanc said it had been "kind of melancholy".

Asked to imagine her character's fate in the present day, Kudrow said Phoebe would be living in Connecticut with her partner and their children.

"She's in charge of the arts program for the school," said the 57-year-old. "[She'd be] the advocate for her kids because they're different like she was."

Courteney Cox said Monica would also be involved in her local school and would probably be the head of its parent-teacher association (PTA).

"Monica would be doing something competitively with other mothers and trying to outdo them," she said. "Whether it's the bake sale at school or something... she'd be so annoying."

David Schwimmer, meanwhile, suggested palaeontologist Ross "would've invested in Joey's sandwich shop and lost a lot of his savings for his kids".

The reunion special will see the actors reminisce about the show, take part in an episode table read and revisit the famous trivia game from Friends' fourth season.

Reese Witherspoon, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and David Beckham are among the celebrity guests expected to appear.

A UK broadcaster has yet to be announced, but Sky is thought to be the frontrunner to secure the rights, according to Deadline.