The One with Ross's Wedding: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox television episode |
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{{Friends4}} |
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| season_article = Friends season 4 |
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| episode_list = List of Friends episodes |
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| series = [[Friends]] |
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| season = 4 |
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| episode = 23/24 |
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| airdate = {{Start date|1998|5|7}} |
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| production = 466623 (part 1)<br />466624 (part 2) |
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| teleplay = Michael Borkow (part 1)<br />[[Shana Goldberg-Meehan]] & [[Scott Silveri]] (part 2) |
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| story = Michael Borkow (part 1)<br />Jill Condon & Amy Toomin (part 2) |
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| director = [[Kevin S. Bright]] |
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| guests = |
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*[[Helen Baxendale]] as Emily Waltham |
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*[[Sarah, Duchess of York]] as herself |
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*[[Richard Branson]] as Vendor |
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*[[Tom Conti]] as Stephen Waltham |
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*[[Jennifer Saunders]] as Andrea Waltham |
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*[[Elliott Gould]] as Jack Geller |
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*[[Hugh Laurie]] as Gentleman on the Plane |
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*[[June Whitfield]] as Housekeeper |
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| prev = [[The One with the Worst Best Man Ever]] |
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| next = [[The One After Ross Says Rachel]] |
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}} |
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"'''The One with Ross's Wedding'''" is the two-part fourth-season finale of the American television sitcom ''[[Friends]]'', comprising the 96th and 97th episodes of the series overall. Originally broadcast by [[NBC]] on May 7, 1998, the episode features Ross, Monica, Joey, Chandler and later Rachel travelling to [[England]] to attend the wedding of [[Ross Geller]] ([[David Schwimmer]]) to his fiancée Emily ([[Helen Baxendale]]) in [[London]]. Ross and Emily's wedding vows are ruined when Ross accidentally says "I, Ross, take thee Rachel"; as the registrar asks Emily if he should continue, the episode ends on a cliffhanger until the season 5 premiere "The One After Ross Says Rachel". The episode also introduces Chandler and Monica's romantic relationship after they impulsively have a one-night stand.<ref name="friends like us">{{cite book |last= Sangster|first= Jim|author2=David Bailey |author-link2=David Bailey (writer) |title= Friends Like Us: The Unofficial Guide to Friends|year= 2000|publisher= Virgin Publishing|location= London|edition= 2nd|pages= 254–260|isbn= 0-7535-0439-1 }}</ref> [[Lisa Kudrow]] won an [[Primetime Emmy Award|Emmy Award]] for her work in the episode. |
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The episode's teleplay was written by [[Shana Goldberg-Meehan]] & [[Scott Silveri]] from a story by Michael Borkow (part one) and Jill Condon & Amy Toomin (part two). The episode's genesis came during the break between seasons three and four, when [[Channel 4]], the British first-run broadcaster of ''Friends'' proposed an episode set in the United Kingdom to the series producers. The proposal fitted neatly with a storyline already being planned, whereby the character of Ross would be married at the end of the fourth season. The episode was filmed in March 1998 under the direction of executive producer [[Kevin S. Bright]] on locations in London, and in front of a live studio audience at [[The Fountain Studios]]. Scenes featuring [[Lisa Kudrow]]'s character [[Phoebe Buffay]] were filmed on the show's sets in [[Burbank, California]], as the pregnant Kudrow (and consequently her character) was unable to fly to London with the rest of the cast. Kudrow gave birth to her son on the day of the episode's original airing. |
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"'''The One With Ross's Wedding'''" is a double length episode of the [[television]] [[situation comedy|sitcom]] ''[[Friends]]''. It first aired on [[May 7]], [[1998]] as the finale of season four. It is usually broadcast in an one hour slot and presented on DVD as one complete episode, but when the episodes are split the two parts are differentiated by the suffixes '''Part 1''' and '''Part 2'''. |
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"The One with Ross's Wedding" features supporting roles from [[Tom Conti]], [[Jennifer Saunders]], [[Elliott Gould]], [[Christina Pickles]] and [[Olivia Williams]], and cameos by [[Richard Branson]], [[Sarah, Duchess of York]], [[Hugh Laurie]] and [[June Whitfield]]. The episode received good critical feedback in the U.S. on its first broadcast, and is often cited as one of the series' best episodes; however, when it aired in the United Kingdom it was poorly received, with criticism focused on the one-dimensional portrayal of Britain and the British. {{Citation needed|reason=No source for this|date=May 2021}} |
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The episode is notable for being filmed in [[London]] in front of a British audience. |
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==Plot== |
==Plot== |
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===Part |
===Part 1=== |
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The group heads off to Ross's wedding in London, leaving behind a heavily pregnant [[Phoebe Buffay|Phoebe]] ([[Lisa Kudrow]]), and [[Rachel Green|Rachel]] ([[Jennifer Aniston]]), who has declined the invitation because it would be too hard for her to see her ex-boyfriend get married. |
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The Friends pack for [[London]], where they will celebrate [[Ross]]'s wedding to [[List_of_significant_others_of_Friends#Emily_Waltham|Emily Waltham]] ([[Helen Baxendale]]). [[Phoebe Buffay|Phoebe]] is forced to stay at home due to her pregnancy, and [[Rachel Green|Rachel]] declined to attend the wedding. |
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In London, [[ |
In London, [[Joey Tribbiani|Joey]] ([[Matt LeBlanc]]) and [[Chandler Bing|Chandler]] ([[Matthew Perry]]) go see the sights in a musical montage featuring [[The Clash]]'s song "[[London Calling (song)|London Calling]]", with Joey filming everything on his [[camcorder]]. Chandler becomes embarrassed by his friend's enthusiasm, and after Joey buys a large [[Union Flag]] hat from a vendor ([[Richard Branson]]), they part company. They reunite in their hotel room and Chandler apologizes. Joey impresses him with a video recording with [[Sarah, Duchess of York]] (who plays herself), but quickly becomes homesick after a phone call from Phoebe. |
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[[Monica Geller|Monica]] |
Emily takes [[Monica Geller|Monica]] ([[Courteney Cox]]) and Ross to the church where the wedding will be, but they discover it is being demolished earlier than originally scheduled. Monica later suggests Emily postpone the wedding until everything is perfect. She passes the thought on to Ross, angering him; he tells her people have flown from America to be there and that it is "now or never"; she chooses "never". Monica berates Ross for his insensitivity and Ross apologizes to Emily, showing her the ceremony can still take place in the half-demolished hall that he has tidied up. She agrees. |
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In [[New York City|New York]], Rachel realizes she still loves Ross, and is further taken aback that the entire group apart from Ross knew about it. Phoebe tries to help Rachel get over her feelings for Ross, but to no avail. Rachel soon decides to fly to London to tell him she loves him, ignoring Phoebe's protests.<ref name="friends like us"/> |
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Together, Ross and Monica salvage the wedding by pointing out how it can still take place in the half-demolished hall: lights, candles, musicians and all. Emily agrees to the idea. |
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With Phoebe's help, Rachel realizes she still loves him. Despite Phoebe's (accurate) assessment that Rachel has missed her chance, she leaves for London to tell Ross how she feels. |
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At the [[rehearsal dinner]], Ross introduces his parents, [[List of recurring characters in Friends#Jack Geller|Jack]] and [[List of recurring characters in Friends#Judy Geller|Judy]] ([[Elliott Gould]] and [[Christina Pickles]]) to Emily's, Steven and Andrea ([[Tom Conti]] and [[Jennifer Saunders]]). Jack and Judy have volunteered to pay for half of the wedding expenses but, when they discover extravagant costs, Ross spends much of the evening trying to bargain down his future in-laws. Chandler makes a [[toast (honor)|toast]] that is not well received by the guests and Monica is taken aback when a drunken guest mistakes her for Ross's mother. She and Chandler console each other over alcohol and wake up in bed together the next morning. |
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On the flight from New York to London, Rachel annoys other passengers by telling them about her relationship with Ross. Eventually, one of the passengers ([[Hugh Laurie]]) has enough of this, and calls her out on her selfishness, pointing out that while Rachel claims to love Ross, she is going to ruin the happiest day of his life, and she should accept how things are. He also says that she and Ross were definitely "on a break". Phoebe tries to contact someone by phone to warn them about Rachel, eventually getting through to Joey at the hotel on the morning of the wedding. Joey devises a plan with Monica and Chandler for the three of them to intercept Rachel, but he does not see Rachel arrive in the hall, as he is distracted by kissing a bridesmaid who had seduced him the night before. Rachel sees Ross and Emily kiss after he has urged their parents to stop their argument over the wedding. She realizes how happy Ross is with Emily and congratulates him. |
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Phoebe, now alone in [[Monica's apartment]], attempts without success to contact anyone by phone, to warn them that Rachel is on the way to ruin the wedding. She calls Emily's parents' housekeeper ([[June Whitfield]]), Emily's mother ([[Jennifer Saunders]]) and eventually the hotel, through which she reaches Joey, after being stymied by British manners. |
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Phoebe phones Joey to hear the wedding and is relieved that Rachel has come to her senses. As Ross says his vows, he accidentally says Rachel's name rather than Emily's, leaving a shocked registrar to ask Emily if he should continue, while the camera shoots from character to character, settling on a shocked Rachel.<ref name="friends like us"/> |
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Ross's parents arrive. Contrary to tradition, they have volunteered to pay for half of the wedding expenses — patting Monica's shoulder, their mother notes that ''"this may be the only wedding we get to throw"''— but Jack blows up when he discovers that Steven and Andrea Waltham ([[Tom Conti]] and Jenifer Saunders) have padded in a number of extraneous expenses. Ross manages to bargain the Walthams down, but cannot bring the budget to a close before the end of the night. |
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Chandler, as the primary [[best man]], stands up to make a [[toast (honor)|toast]] at the [[rehearsal dinner]], which fails to make anyone (except the audience) laugh. Monica, on the other hand, is being hit full in the face by her apparently hopeless prospects as a desirable woman: her parents think she's a failure, her most recent successful relationship was with a man twice her age ([[List_of_significant_others_of_Friends#Dr._Richard_Burke|Richard Burke]]), and a drunken member of the wedding party mistakes her for Ross's mother although she is actually his ''younger'' sister. She and Chandler console each other over alcohol. |
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During the summer hiatus of 1997, the producers were contacted by [[Channel 4]], the British first-run broadcaster of ''Friends'', with a proposal to film an episode in London. Producer Greg Malins is quoted as saying "We had to come up with a storyline that would cause all the Friends to go to London [...] and that ended up being Ross getting married, because they would all have to go to his wedding".<ref>{{cite book |last= Stallings|first= Penny|title= The Ultimate Friends Companion|year= 2000|publisher= Channel 4 Books|location= London|isbn= 0-7522-7231-4|page= 111 }}</ref> Casting Director Leslie Litt said Musician [[Paul McCartney]] was approached to play Emily's dad, but he declined as he was busy at the time.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/friends-paul-mccartney_n_7417348/ | title='Friends' Almost Featured Paul McCartney. Can You Guess Which Role? | date=26 May 2015 | access-date=23 October 2022 | archive-date=23 October 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023190004/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/friends-paul-mccartney_n_7417348 | url-status=live }}</ref> |
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The episode featured numerous supporting roles from British actors. For her role as Andrea Waltham, Saunders "heard [[Joan Collins]]' voice in [her] head".<ref>Stallings, p. 126.</ref> Her ''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]'' co-star [[June Whitfield]] appeared in cameo as the housekeeper. Felicity, the bridesmaid who Joey entices, is played by [[Olivia Williams]]. Further cameos were made by [[Sarah, Duchess of York]] as herself, [[Richard Branson]] as the vendor who sells Joey a hat, and [[Hugh Laurie]] as the man sitting next to Rachel on the plane. [[Lisa Kudrow]] did not join the others in London as she was too heavily pregnant to fly, as was her character Phoebe. [[Elliott Gould]] inadvertently revealed to the public that Rachel was to turn up at the wedding, upsetting Marta Kauffman.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Allyssa|last=Lee|title=And Now A Word From The Supporting Players' Club...|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,595365,00.html|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=2004-03-05|access-date=2007-08-11|archive-date=2007-12-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071216014021/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,595365,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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Ross bursts into Chandler's room, jumping with excitement about getting married. Immediately after Ross exits the room, Monica's head pops up from under the covers: "Do you think he knew I was here?" They react awkwardly to each other afterwards. |
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Scenes not involving the main apartments were all filmed in London during the week beginning March 30, 1998.<ref name="crush">{{cite news|first= Carol|last= Midgley|title= Make Friends by being obnoxious|work= [[The Times]]|date= 1998-03-26}}</ref> Location shooting was done mostly for scenes featuring Joey and Chandler; outside the London [[Marriott International|Marriott]], Grosvenor Square, the top of an open-top [[London bus]] as it crosses [[Tower Bridge]] (this scene was excised from the final cut but features in the opening titles of the next episode), and near [[St John's Church, Wapping]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Where is Friends filmed?|url=https://findthatlocation.com/television-show/friends/location/880|url-status=live|access-date=2021-03-09|archive-date=2020-08-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814085640/https://findthatlocation.com/television-show/friends/location/880}}</ref> Interiors, such as the restaurant, the Walthams' hallway and the hotel rooms, were all filmed on purpose-built sets at [[The Fountain Studios]], [[Wembley]].<ref name="Fountain">{{cite web |title=Company Focus: Fountain Studios |url=http://www.theproductionguide.co.uk/comp_foc_fount.aspx|publisher=The Production Guide|access-date=2007-08-12 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070522211505/http://www.theproductionguide.co.uk/comp_foc_fount.aspx |archive-date = May 22, 2007}}</ref> The reaction from the audience when Monica came out from under Chandler's bed covers meant the actors had to hold their position for 27 seconds.<ref name="Perry Thoughts">{{cite video |people=Perry, Matthew |date=2005|title=Friends: Final Thoughts|medium=DVD |publisher=New Wave DVD and Warner Home Entertainment}}</ref> When filming ran late one evening, the production team ordered pizzas for the audience.<ref name="Fountain"/> |
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Rachel is stymied at the ticket counter when she discovers she's forgotten her [[passport]]. On the plane flight, her nervous energy proves highly distracting to the Englishman ([[Hugh Laurie]]) seated next to her. He straps on his [[earphones]] to tune out an hours-long monologue about her relationship with Ross, but eventually breaks in to agree with ''"[her] friend 'Pheebs'"'' that Rachel is going to cause Ross nothing but trouble because he loves Emily. ''"And by the way,"'' he concludes, ''"it seems to be perfectly clear that you ''were'' [[The One the Morning After|on a break]]."'' |
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The episode was a coup for Channel 4, who erected crush barriers outside their building to hold back fans when the cast arrived for a press conference (though no fans actually turned up).<ref name="crush"/> The broadcaster also commissioned a behind-the-scenes program from [[Princess Productions]]. Hosted by British television personality [[Johnny Vaughan]], ''The One Where Johnny Makes Friends'' features comedic tongue-in-cheek interviews with all six main cast (Vaughan contacted Kudrow by [[payphone]], claiming that he could not make international calls from his dressing room) and was broadcast on Channel 4 on May 6, 1998.<ref>{{cite web|title= TV Transmission: The One Where Johnny Makes Friends|url= http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/591337?view=transmission|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071115104230/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/591337?view=transmission|url-status= dead|archive-date= 2007-11-15|publisher= [[British Film Institute]]|access-date= 2007-06-29}}</ref> |
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All these threads come to a close on the night of the wedding. Ross finally gets the payment issue resolved by threatening both sets of parents: ''"No grandchildren!"'' Emily, drawn by the commotion and already dressed for the wedding, panics: it's a [[superstition]] that if the groom (Ross) sees the bride (Emily) in her wedding dress, there will be bad luck in the marriage. Rachel charges into the hall, but finds Ross and Emily kissing, and realizes what everyone has been telling her: that she can't ruin Ross's big day. Ross, at least, is overjoyed to see her, and she stays for the ceremony. Phoebe, calling Mrs. Waltham's [[cellular phone]], double-checks with Joey about Rachel, and manages to be present by proxy for the rest of the ceremony. Monica and Chandler, walking down the aisle, arrange to meet again that night. Finally, Emily arrives and the vows are exchanged. However, Ross accidentally says "I take thee Rachel." The episode and season ends when the vicar asks "Should I continue?" |
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Two brief behind-the-scenes featurettes were filmed, titled ''Friends Goes to London'' and ''Friends on Location in London'', which were included on the DVD releases of seasons four and five. A tie-in book, ''Making Friends in the UK'' ({{ISBN|0752221949}}) was published by Channel 4 Books in November 1998. It was bundled into a gift pack entitled "The One with the Whole London Wedding", which featured an extended cut of the episode merged with [[The One After Ross Says Rachel|the next episode]]. |
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Shots not involving Monica's flat in this and the following two episodes are all filmed in London. As well as many external shots filmed at various landmark locations the internal shots of the hotel rooms, the function room, the hall and the Waltham's home were filmed on purpose built sets in the [[The Fountain Studios, Wembley|The Fountain Studios]] in [[Wembley]], [[North London]]. |
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Ross and Emily's marriage was originally planned to last, but Helen Baxendale did not wish to remain in America while pregnant. The writers could not script a convincing story for why Emily would not be seen, despite being married to Ross, so Baxendale was written out in the next season,<ref name="dvd">{{cite video |people=[[Kevin S. Bright|Bright, Kevin S.]]; [[Marta Kauffman]]; [[David Crane (producer)|David Crane]] |date=2004|title=Friends: The Complete Fourth Season DVD audio commentary for "The One with Ross's Wedding" |medium=DVD |location=[[Los Angeles, California]] |publisher=Warner Home Video}}</ref> making only three cameo appearances after the season premiere. |
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An exclusive title sequence was used, featuring only one shot from the usual fountain intro and all the other footage from these two episodes. It is also used for "[[The One After Ross Says Rachel]]". |
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Scripts for the two episodes were recovered from a bin by a Fountain Studios member of staff following taping, and it was reported in 2024 that they were sold for auction in Hertfordshire, England for £22,000 (approximately $28,100).<ref>{{cite news |last= Fullbrook|first= Danny|date= 2024-01-12 |title= Friends scripts found in bin sell for £22,000 |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-67959578 |work= BBC News |access-date= 2024-01-12}}</ref> |
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==Additional Cast== |
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* Jack Geller - [[Elliot Gould]] |
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* Steven Waltham - [[Tom Conti]] |
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* The Ticket Agent - [[Jane Carr]] |
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* The Gentleman On The Plane - [[Hugh Laurie]] |
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== |
==Reception== |
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In its original airing, "The One with Ross's Wedding" finished third in ratings for the week of May 4–10, 1998, with a [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen rating]] of 21.2, equivalent to approximately 20.6 million viewing households. It was the third highest-rated show on NBC that week, following ''[[Seinfeld]]'' and ''[[ER (TV series)|ER]]'' – all of which aired on the network's Thursday night [[Must See TV]] lineup.<ref>{{cite web|title=WEEK'S TV RATINGS|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1998/05/13/DD87764.DTL&type=chart|work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|date=13 May 1998|access-date=8 April 2012}}</ref> The episode aired in the [[Republic of Ireland]] on [[RTÉ]] on May 25, 1998, six days earlier than in the [[United Kingdom]] on [[Sky1]].<ref>{{cite news |title=FRIENDS CLIFFHANGER |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/FRIENDS+CLIFFHANGER.-a060679639 |newspaper=[[The Daily Mirror|The Mirror]] |last=Leslie |first=Neil |date=25 May 1998 |access-date=9 April 2012 |archive-date=8 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130708124803/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/FRIENDS+CLIFFHANGER.-a060679639 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Friendly reception |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Friendly+reception.-a060756895 |newspaper=[[Sunday Mail (Scotland)|Sunday Mail]] |date=31 May 1998 |access-date=9 April 2012 |archive-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305150621/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Friendly+reception.-a060756895 |url-status=live }}</ref> It also aired on [[Channel 4]] on December 11, 1998, and was watched by 6.49 million viewers, making ''Friends'' the highest rated show on the channel for the week ending December 13, 1998.<ref>{{cite news|title=The ONE WITH ROSS'S WEDDING PART 1 (1998) |url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/682495?view=transmission |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090527061028/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/682495?view=transmission |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 May 2009 |work=[[British Film Institute]] |date=13 December 1998 |access-date=9 April 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=The ONE WITH ROSS'S WEDDING PART 2 (1998) |url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/682498?view=transmission |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090527060915/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/682498?view=transmission |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 May 2009 |work=[[British Film Institute]] |date=13 December 1998 |access-date=9 April 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.barb.co.uk/viewing/weekly-top-30 |title=BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes |publisher=barb.co.uk |access-date=9 April 2012 |archive-date=15 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121215163945/http://www.barb.co.uk/viewing/weekly-top-30 |url-status=live }} Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e December 13, 1998", listed under Channel 4</ref> |
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*On the day this episode aired, [[Lisa Kudrow]] gave birth to her son. |
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*Coincidently, the piper playing on the show is Steafan Hannigan (the same surname as Phoebe would later have on the show) who, along with piper Michael McGoldrick, worked on the music for the episode. |
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''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' gives the episode an A rating, calling it a "near-perfect finale that finds everyone at the top of their game" with a "tantalizing cliff-hanger, and, in Chandler and Monica, a relationship that will have reverberations for seasons to come".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Staff writer.|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,261338,00.html|title=Review: Season 4 (1997–1998)|access-date=2007-06-29|date=2001-09-15|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|archive-date=2007-12-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215231627/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,261338,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The authors of ''Friends Like Us: The Unofficial Guide to Friends'' state there are "too many 'best moments' to list in detail", but single out Monica describing the perfect wedding to Ross, and Sarah Ferguson's cameo (though they call Branson's "embarrassing").<ref name="friends like us"/> Following the broadcast of the episode in the UK, ''[[The Independent]]'' was critical, saying "Twice the length of a normal episode, last night's offering was approximately half as funny" and suggested the cast were behaving out of character.<ref>{{cite news|first= Jasper|last= Rees|title= Television review|url= http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19981212/ai_n14186037|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071209155312/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19981212/ai_n14186037|url-status= dead|archive-date= 2007-12-09|work= [[The Independent]]|format= archived at findarticles.com|date= 1998-12-12|access-date= 2007-06-29 }}</ref> |
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*On the 2002 [[ITV]] documentary ''Being Victoria Beckham'', [[Victoria Beckham|Victoria]] stated that the chapel Ross and Emily were married in inspired the location of her and [[David Beckham|David]]'s wedding in 1999. |
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*[[Channel 4]] commissioned [[Princess Productions]] to film a behind-the-scenes featurette of the filming of these episodes entitled ''The One where Johnny Makes Friends''. Maintaining a tongue-in-cheek comedic style, [[Johnny Vaughan]] interviewed all six cast members including Lisa Kudrow, who he contacted using a nearby [[payphone]] claiming he couldn't make international calls from his dressing room. |
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David Schwimmer has expressed dissatisfaction that Ross was married again, saying it was "a mistake" and that Ross was not given "enough credit". He says that Ross's "taking on the world would just be shattered" and that he would not have risked marrying again.<ref name="tiltheend1">{{cite book |last= Wild|first= David|title= Friends ...'Til the End|year= 2004|publisher= Headline|pages= 102–103|location= London|isbn= 0-7553-1321-6 }}</ref> [[David Crane (producer)|David Crane]] has said that filming in front of a different audience "energized the actors and writers".<ref>{{cite video | people=Crane, David|date=1998|title=Friends on Location in London| medium=DVD|publisher= Warner Home Entertainment}}</ref> The hall where the wedding ceremony took place would inspire the location for the wedding of [[David Beckham|David]] and [[Victoria Beckham]].<ref>{{cite video | people=Beckham, Victoria|date=2002|title=Being Victoria Beckham| medium=Documentary|publisher=[[London Weekend Television]], [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]}}</ref> The events of this episode are revisited in the seventh-season episode "The One with the Truth About London", in which flashbacks reveal how Monica and Chandler ended up in bed together. The hotel room set was recreated for those scenes. |
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In 2013, ''[[TV Guide]]'' ranked the beginning of the Monica-Chandler affair as the third-greatest twist of all time.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Roush |first=Matt |date=November 4–10, 2013 |title=Eyes on Surprise! The 60 Most Startling Twists of All Time |journal=TV Guide Magazine |publisher=[[TV Guide]] |volume=61 |issue=3187 |pages=22–23 }}</ref> |
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===Accolades=== |
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At the [[50th Primetime Emmy Awards]], [[Lisa Kudrow]] won [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series]] for her work in the episode. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{reflist|30em}} |
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*DVD audio commentary |
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*TV.com: [http://www.tv.com/friends/the-one-with-rosss-wedding-1/episode/440/summary.html Part one]; [http://www.tv.com/friends/the-one-with-rosss-wedding-2/episode/441/summary.html Part two] |
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==External links== |
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*[http://tv.yahoo.com/friends/show/the-one-with-rosss-wedding/episode/1175 Yahoo TV] |
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* {{IMDb episode|0583566|The One with Ross's Wedding: Part 1}} |
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*[http://friends.tktv.net/Episodes4/23.html Cast and crew] |
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* {{IMDb episode|0831991|The One with Ross's Wedding: Part 2}} |
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*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aam7a_Un1Mc "The One Where Johnny Makes Friends"] at [[YouTube]] |
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{{good article}} |
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{{Episode navigation|parent=[[List of Friends episodes|List of ''Friends'' episodes]]|prev=[[The One With the Worst Best Man Ever]]|next=[[The One After Ross Says Rachel]] }} |
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[[Category:Friends season 4 episodes]] |
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[[Category:1998 American television episodes]] |
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[[Category:Television series produced at Pinewood Studios]] |
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[[Category:Television episodes set in London]] |
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[[Category:Television episodes about weddings]] |
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Latest revision as of 17:47, 27 November 2024
| "The One with Ross's Wedding" | |
|---|---|
| Friends episodes | |
| Episode nos. | Season 4 Episodes 23/24 |
| Directed by | Kevin S. Bright |
| Story by | Michael Borkow (part 1) Jill Condon & Amy Toomin (part 2) |
| Teleplay by | Michael Borkow (part 1) Shana Goldberg-Meehan & Scott Silveri (part 2) |
| Production codes | 466623 (part 1) 466624 (part 2) |
| Original air date | May 7, 1998 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"The One with Ross's Wedding" is the two-part fourth-season finale of the American television sitcom Friends, comprising the 96th and 97th episodes of the series overall. Originally broadcast by NBC on May 7, 1998, the episode features Ross, Monica, Joey, Chandler and later Rachel travelling to England to attend the wedding of Ross Geller (David Schwimmer) to his fiancée Emily (Helen Baxendale) in London. Ross and Emily's wedding vows are ruined when Ross accidentally says "I, Ross, take thee Rachel"; as the registrar asks Emily if he should continue, the episode ends on a cliffhanger until the season 5 premiere "The One After Ross Says Rachel". The episode also introduces Chandler and Monica's romantic relationship after they impulsively have a one-night stand.[1] Lisa Kudrow won an Emmy Award for her work in the episode.
The episode's teleplay was written by Shana Goldberg-Meehan & Scott Silveri from a story by Michael Borkow (part one) and Jill Condon & Amy Toomin (part two). The episode's genesis came during the break between seasons three and four, when Channel 4, the British first-run broadcaster of Friends proposed an episode set in the United Kingdom to the series producers. The proposal fitted neatly with a storyline already being planned, whereby the character of Ross would be married at the end of the fourth season. The episode was filmed in March 1998 under the direction of executive producer Kevin S. Bright on locations in London, and in front of a live studio audience at The Fountain Studios. Scenes featuring Lisa Kudrow's character Phoebe Buffay were filmed on the show's sets in Burbank, California, as the pregnant Kudrow (and consequently her character) was unable to fly to London with the rest of the cast. Kudrow gave birth to her son on the day of the episode's original airing.
"The One with Ross's Wedding" features supporting roles from Tom Conti, Jennifer Saunders, Elliott Gould, Christina Pickles and Olivia Williams, and cameos by Richard Branson, Sarah, Duchess of York, Hugh Laurie and June Whitfield. The episode received good critical feedback in the U.S. on its first broadcast, and is often cited as one of the series' best episodes; however, when it aired in the United Kingdom it was poorly received, with criticism focused on the one-dimensional portrayal of Britain and the British. [citation needed]
Plot
[edit]Part 1
[edit]The group heads off to Ross's wedding in London, leaving behind a heavily pregnant Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), who has declined the invitation because it would be too hard for her to see her ex-boyfriend get married.
In London, Joey (Matt LeBlanc) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) go see the sights in a musical montage featuring The Clash's song "London Calling", with Joey filming everything on his camcorder. Chandler becomes embarrassed by his friend's enthusiasm, and after Joey buys a large Union Flag hat from a vendor (Richard Branson), they part company. They reunite in their hotel room and Chandler apologizes. Joey impresses him with a video recording with Sarah, Duchess of York (who plays herself), but quickly becomes homesick after a phone call from Phoebe.
Emily takes Monica (Courteney Cox) and Ross to the church where the wedding will be, but they discover it is being demolished earlier than originally scheduled. Monica later suggests Emily postpone the wedding until everything is perfect. She passes the thought on to Ross, angering him; he tells her people have flown from America to be there and that it is "now or never"; she chooses "never". Monica berates Ross for his insensitivity and Ross apologizes to Emily, showing her the ceremony can still take place in the half-demolished hall that he has tidied up. She agrees.
In New York, Rachel realizes she still loves Ross, and is further taken aback that the entire group apart from Ross knew about it. Phoebe tries to help Rachel get over her feelings for Ross, but to no avail. Rachel soon decides to fly to London to tell him she loves him, ignoring Phoebe's protests.[1]
Part 2
[edit]At the rehearsal dinner, Ross introduces his parents, Jack and Judy (Elliott Gould and Christina Pickles) to Emily's, Steven and Andrea (Tom Conti and Jennifer Saunders). Jack and Judy have volunteered to pay for half of the wedding expenses but, when they discover extravagant costs, Ross spends much of the evening trying to bargain down his future in-laws. Chandler makes a toast that is not well received by the guests and Monica is taken aback when a drunken guest mistakes her for Ross's mother. She and Chandler console each other over alcohol and wake up in bed together the next morning.
On the flight from New York to London, Rachel annoys other passengers by telling them about her relationship with Ross. Eventually, one of the passengers (Hugh Laurie) has enough of this, and calls her out on her selfishness, pointing out that while Rachel claims to love Ross, she is going to ruin the happiest day of his life, and she should accept how things are. He also says that she and Ross were definitely "on a break". Phoebe tries to contact someone by phone to warn them about Rachel, eventually getting through to Joey at the hotel on the morning of the wedding. Joey devises a plan with Monica and Chandler for the three of them to intercept Rachel, but he does not see Rachel arrive in the hall, as he is distracted by kissing a bridesmaid who had seduced him the night before. Rachel sees Ross and Emily kiss after he has urged their parents to stop their argument over the wedding. She realizes how happy Ross is with Emily and congratulates him.
Phoebe phones Joey to hear the wedding and is relieved that Rachel has come to her senses. As Ross says his vows, he accidentally says Rachel's name rather than Emily's, leaving a shocked registrar to ask Emily if he should continue, while the camera shoots from character to character, settling on a shocked Rachel.[1]
Production
[edit]During the summer hiatus of 1997, the producers were contacted by Channel 4, the British first-run broadcaster of Friends, with a proposal to film an episode in London. Producer Greg Malins is quoted as saying "We had to come up with a storyline that would cause all the Friends to go to London [...] and that ended up being Ross getting married, because they would all have to go to his wedding".[2] Casting Director Leslie Litt said Musician Paul McCartney was approached to play Emily's dad, but he declined as he was busy at the time.[3]
The episode featured numerous supporting roles from British actors. For her role as Andrea Waltham, Saunders "heard Joan Collins' voice in [her] head".[4] Her Absolutely Fabulous co-star June Whitfield appeared in cameo as the housekeeper. Felicity, the bridesmaid who Joey entices, is played by Olivia Williams. Further cameos were made by Sarah, Duchess of York as herself, Richard Branson as the vendor who sells Joey a hat, and Hugh Laurie as the man sitting next to Rachel on the plane. Lisa Kudrow did not join the others in London as she was too heavily pregnant to fly, as was her character Phoebe. Elliott Gould inadvertently revealed to the public that Rachel was to turn up at the wedding, upsetting Marta Kauffman.[5]
Scenes not involving the main apartments were all filmed in London during the week beginning March 30, 1998.[6] Location shooting was done mostly for scenes featuring Joey and Chandler; outside the London Marriott, Grosvenor Square, the top of an open-top London bus as it crosses Tower Bridge (this scene was excised from the final cut but features in the opening titles of the next episode), and near St John's Church, Wapping.[7] Interiors, such as the restaurant, the Walthams' hallway and the hotel rooms, were all filmed on purpose-built sets at The Fountain Studios, Wembley.[8] The reaction from the audience when Monica came out from under Chandler's bed covers meant the actors had to hold their position for 27 seconds.[9] When filming ran late one evening, the production team ordered pizzas for the audience.[8]
The episode was a coup for Channel 4, who erected crush barriers outside their building to hold back fans when the cast arrived for a press conference (though no fans actually turned up).[6] The broadcaster also commissioned a behind-the-scenes program from Princess Productions. Hosted by British television personality Johnny Vaughan, The One Where Johnny Makes Friends features comedic tongue-in-cheek interviews with all six main cast (Vaughan contacted Kudrow by payphone, claiming that he could not make international calls from his dressing room) and was broadcast on Channel 4 on May 6, 1998.[10]
Two brief behind-the-scenes featurettes were filmed, titled Friends Goes to London and Friends on Location in London, which were included on the DVD releases of seasons four and five. A tie-in book, Making Friends in the UK (ISBN 0752221949) was published by Channel 4 Books in November 1998. It was bundled into a gift pack entitled "The One with the Whole London Wedding", which featured an extended cut of the episode merged with the next episode.
Ross and Emily's marriage was originally planned to last, but Helen Baxendale did not wish to remain in America while pregnant. The writers could not script a convincing story for why Emily would not be seen, despite being married to Ross, so Baxendale was written out in the next season,[11] making only three cameo appearances after the season premiere.
Scripts for the two episodes were recovered from a bin by a Fountain Studios member of staff following taping, and it was reported in 2024 that they were sold for auction in Hertfordshire, England for £22,000 (approximately $28,100).[12]
Reception
[edit]In its original airing, "The One with Ross's Wedding" finished third in ratings for the week of May 4–10, 1998, with a Nielsen rating of 21.2, equivalent to approximately 20.6 million viewing households. It was the third highest-rated show on NBC that week, following Seinfeld and ER – all of which aired on the network's Thursday night Must See TV lineup.[13] The episode aired in the Republic of Ireland on RTÉ on May 25, 1998, six days earlier than in the United Kingdom on Sky1.[14][15] It also aired on Channel 4 on December 11, 1998, and was watched by 6.49 million viewers, making Friends the highest rated show on the channel for the week ending December 13, 1998.[16][17][18]
Entertainment Weekly gives the episode an A rating, calling it a "near-perfect finale that finds everyone at the top of their game" with a "tantalizing cliff-hanger, and, in Chandler and Monica, a relationship that will have reverberations for seasons to come".[19] The authors of Friends Like Us: The Unofficial Guide to Friends state there are "too many 'best moments' to list in detail", but single out Monica describing the perfect wedding to Ross, and Sarah Ferguson's cameo (though they call Branson's "embarrassing").[1] Following the broadcast of the episode in the UK, The Independent was critical, saying "Twice the length of a normal episode, last night's offering was approximately half as funny" and suggested the cast were behaving out of character.[20]
David Schwimmer has expressed dissatisfaction that Ross was married again, saying it was "a mistake" and that Ross was not given "enough credit". He says that Ross's "taking on the world would just be shattered" and that he would not have risked marrying again.[21] David Crane has said that filming in front of a different audience "energized the actors and writers".[22] The hall where the wedding ceremony took place would inspire the location for the wedding of David and Victoria Beckham.[23] The events of this episode are revisited in the seventh-season episode "The One with the Truth About London", in which flashbacks reveal how Monica and Chandler ended up in bed together. The hotel room set was recreated for those scenes.
In 2013, TV Guide ranked the beginning of the Monica-Chandler affair as the third-greatest twist of all time.[24]
Accolades
[edit]At the 50th Primetime Emmy Awards, Lisa Kudrow won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work in the episode.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Sangster, Jim; David Bailey (2000). Friends Like Us: The Unofficial Guide to Friends (2nd ed.). London: Virgin Publishing. pp. 254–260. ISBN 0-7535-0439-1.
- ^ Stallings, Penny (2000). The Ultimate Friends Companion. London: Channel 4 Books. p. 111. ISBN 0-7522-7231-4.
- ^ "'Friends' Almost Featured Paul McCartney. Can You Guess Which Role?". 26 May 2015. Archived from the original on 23 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ Stallings, p. 126.
- ^ Lee, Allyssa (2004-03-05). "And Now A Word From The Supporting Players' Club..." Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2007-12-16. Retrieved 2007-08-11.
- ^ a b Midgley, Carol (1998-03-26). "Make Friends by being obnoxious". The Times.
- ^ "Where is Friends filmed?". Archived from the original on 2020-08-14. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
- ^ a b "Company Focus: Fountain Studios". The Production Guide. Archived from the original on May 22, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-12.
- ^ Perry, Matthew (2005). Friends: Final Thoughts (DVD). New Wave DVD and Warner Home Entertainment.
- ^ "TV Transmission: The One Where Johnny Makes Friends". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 2007-11-15. Retrieved 2007-06-29.
- ^ Bright, Kevin S.; Marta Kauffman; David Crane (2004). Friends: The Complete Fourth Season DVD audio commentary for "The One with Ross's Wedding" (DVD). Los Angeles, California: Warner Home Video.
- ^ Fullbrook, Danny (2024-01-12). "Friends scripts found in bin sell for £22,000". BBC News. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
- ^ "WEEK'S TV RATINGS". San Francisco Chronicle. 13 May 1998. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- ^ Leslie, Neil (25 May 1998). "FRIENDS CLIFFHANGER". The Mirror. Archived from the original on 8 July 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- ^ "Friendly reception". Sunday Mail. 31 May 1998. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- ^ "The ONE WITH ROSS'S WEDDING PART 1 (1998)". British Film Institute. 13 December 1998. Archived from the original on 27 May 2009. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- ^ "The ONE WITH ROSS'S WEDDING PART 2 (1998)". British Film Institute. 13 December 1998. Archived from the original on 27 May 2009. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- ^ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". barb.co.uk. Archived from the original on 15 December 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2012. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e December 13, 1998", listed under Channel 4
- ^ Staff writer. (2001-09-15). "Review: Season 4 (1997–1998)". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2007-12-15. Retrieved 2007-06-29.
- ^ Rees, Jasper (1998-12-12). "Television review". The Independent. Archived from the original (archived at findarticles.com) on 2007-12-09. Retrieved 2007-06-29.
- ^ Wild, David (2004). Friends ...'Til the End. London: Headline. pp. 102–103. ISBN 0-7553-1321-6.
- ^ Crane, David (1998). Friends on Location in London (DVD). Warner Home Entertainment.
- ^ Beckham, Victoria (2002). Being Victoria Beckham (Documentary). London Weekend Television, ITV.
- ^ Roush, Matt (November 4–10, 2013). "Eyes on Surprise! The 60 Most Startling Twists of All Time". TV Guide Magazine. 61 (3187). TV Guide: 22–23.
External links
[edit]- "The One with Ross's Wedding: Part 1" at IMDb
- "The One with Ross's Wedding: Part 2" at IMDb
- "The One Where Johnny Makes Friends" at YouTube