Friends café Central Perk comes to London

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As part of the 15th anniversary of the hit TV series Friends a pop-up version of Central Perk, the café in the series, has been set up in Soho for a two week period. The pop-up coincides with the release of the DVD box set off all 236 episodes, also celebrating the anniversary. The show, which began in 1994, had attracted a massive audience while it ran and the final episode was watched by over 50 million people.

The café itself is an exact copy of the one from the series, the orange velvet sofa, green armchair, Oriental rugs and tiled floor are all there, as well as the brick walls and neon lighting. Scattered around the café, in a true homage to series, are props from various episodes, such as Rachel's pink bridesmaid dress, Ross's Science Boy comic book cover and a copy of Phoebe's Buffay the Vampire Layer video. Also making an appearance is a purple door like the one from Monica's apartment. Two TVs in the café play clips from the series and in the ceiling there are even the black TV light fixtures as a reminder of the filming.

Visitors are entitled to a free cup of coffee, supplied by Illy, if they produce a voucher and are welcome to sit where the Friends' themselves would have sat. There are also discount vouchers for Friends DVDs stacked on the tables as a further promotion. There is no food available, although there are some chocolates, cookies and cake around, but these are also props.

Due to the show's large fanbase the café has been packed everyday since its opening with large queues outside too. Once inside there is an opportunity to have photos taken on the famous sofa and to enjoy the atmosphere. While this is not really the place for someone who did not watch the series, for a fan it is a must.

 

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