Friends will return for the highly anticipated reunion episode on May 27, it has been confirmed.

The special episode will air on streaming service HBO Max as a trailer was released on social media.

The clip shows all six original cast members - Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer – walking arm-in-arm across a studio lot.

The video was accompanied by a down-tempo version of the US sitcom’s theme, I’ll Be There for You by The Rembrandts.

Friends was one of the biggest sitcoms on the planet in the 90s before it ended in 2004 and now the show has a new generation of fans thanks to streaming services such as Netflix.

Cox, who played Monica Geller, wrote on Instagram: “This kind of thing doesn’t happen every year, or even every 10, or 15 years. I feel so blessed to have had a chance to reunite with my Friends… and it was better than ever.”

“Finally! Had a blast with the cast and a solid nap with LeBlanc,” said Schwimmer, who played palaeontologist Ross Geller.

Aniston, best known as Rachel Green, said: “It’s official! The #FriendsReunion premieres May 27th on @HBOMax — could we BE any more excited?!”

“So great to see you everyone,” wrote LeBlanc, who played hapless actor Joey Tribbiani.

HBO has also unveiled a star-studded line-up of celebrities who will appear as themselves.

They include David Beckham, Justin Bieber, BTS, James Corden, Cindy Crawford, Cara Delevingne, Lady Gaga, Kit Harington, Tom Selleck, Reese Witherspoon and Malala Yousafzai.

The cast will not be in character and will appear as themselves in the special, which was repeatedly delayed because of the pandemic after originally being set to arrive on the HBO Max streaming platform in May last year.