Keep ahead of your fellow Friends fans by committing these little known facts to memory:

1. Original names for the show included “Once Upon a Time in the West Village”, “Across the Hall”, and “Friends Like Us” before deciding on “Friends”.

2. Original storylines focused around only six of the friends – Monica, Ross, Rachel, and Joey. Producers were so pleased with the performances of Phoebe and Chandler that they added them more prominently to the show.

3. In the first couple of episodes Chandler and Joey’s apartment number was #4 and Monica and Rachel’s apartment number was #5. However, in the later episodes, they are 19 and 20 respectively because the producers noted that 4 and 5 corresponded to apartments on lower floors and the Friends’ apartments were higher up the building.

4. Courteney Cox was originally asked to play Rachel, but she asked to play Monica instead after reading the parts.

5. None of the scenes in Friends were ever shot in New York.

The climax of US comedy Friends has been voted TV’s biggest tearjerker.

The moment when Joey, Chandler, Ross, Monica, Rachel and Phoebe handed back their apartment keys was ranked the most emotional in TV entertainment.

EastEnders claimed the biggest share of places in the top 10 with four sob-laden entries in the poll.

Albert Square’s quartet of weepies were all deaths as Ethel, Jamie Mitchell, Bradley and Tiffany bowed out of the show.

The poll of 3,000 people - to mark the launch of Freeview HD - found Brits were a nation of weepers, with 91% admitting they had shed a tear while watching a favourite show.

Surprisingly, men were more likely to blub in front of the box than their female counterparts. The poll found that 60% of women enjoy a regular cry while watching TV, with 79% of men saying they cried once a week.

The most emotional sporting moment was Gareth Southgate’s missed penalty in Euro 96, with Jonny Wilkinson’s last-gasp dropgoal to clinch the 2003 Rugby World Cup in second.

Ilse Howling, of Freeview, said: “When the football World Cup kicks off, up to 50% of the UK will have access to subscription-free HD programmes - but this time I hope there will be tears of joy.”

TOP TV MOMENTS

1. Friends - Handing back the keys

2. Blackadder Goes Forth - Final scene

3. EastEnders - Bradley’s death

4. EastEnders - Ethel’s death

5. The Royle Family - Death of Nana

6. ER - Death of Dr Mark Greene

The final episode of long-running comedy Friends has been named TV’s biggest tearjerker in a new poll.

Even as reports suggest a cast reunion for a big screen version of the sitcom, it has emerged that fans shed the most tears when the six friends ended their decade-long run on TV, reported Daily Mail online.

The highly charged moment as the pals in the American show handed back apartment keys and viewers said goodbye to Joey, Chandler, Ross, Monica, Rachel and Phoebe was ranked the most emotional moment in TV.

However, the British soap EastEnders claimed the biggest share of places in the top ten with four sob-laden entries in the poll for Freeview HD.

The poll found 60 per cent of women enjoy a regular cry while watching TV, while the men who took part proved to be an even softer touch with 79 per cent saying they cried once a week.

Jennifer Aniston won’t be seen playing a lesbian on “Cougar Town”. Her representative has come out with a denial to Showbiz Spy’s report that the actress has been set to guest star on the ABC series. “There are no plans for her to be on ‘Cougar Town’,” the rep told Gossip Cop, adding “She has not been asked to do ‘Cougar Town.’ ”

Showbiz Spy earlier came out with the story that star/executive producer Courteney Cox “persuaded Jen to guest star”. It reported a source told U.K.’s the Mail On Sunday, “They have both wanted it to happen for a while, but Jennifer has been too busy. She promised she would do it as soon as she finished promoting her new film, The Bounty Hunter, and it was Jen’s idea to play a lesbian. She wanted to do something different.”

In another news, Jennifer has reportedly told British TV show GMTV that she still opens reconciliation door for Brad Pitt. “Absolutely,” she said as quoted by OK! magazine. “Sometimes you meet each other at a time in your lives when you’re not necessarily ready and you’re not fully formed - you don’t sort of have the maturity it takes to be in a relationship.”

Her friend told OK!, “[Brad] was her only true love; she has always held out hope that they would get back together, and there have even been a few in-person meetings.” The friend added, “In her heart, Jen has always felt that Brad’s relationship with Angelina [Jolie] is just a very passionate fling. It’s lasted a lot longer than she ever expected, but she still thinks it has an expiration date. That’s why she said, ‘Never say never.’ “

During the the series’ run, pop psychologists have “prattled” about the cultural impact of Friends, with the producers laughing, “It’s only a TV show.”

Aniston’s hairstyle was nicknamed “The Rachel”, and copied around the world. Joey’s catchphrase, “How you doin’?”, has become a popular part of Western English slang, often used as a pick-up line or when greeting friends.

The series has also impacted on the English language, according to a study by a linguistics professor at the University of Toronto. The professor found that the characters used so as an adjective more often than other intensifiers, such as very and really.

The professor believed that although the preference had already made its way into the American vernacular, usage on the series may have accelerate the change. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States, ratings increased 17% over the previous season as viewers tuned in for comfort.

The Central Perk coffee house, one of the principal settings of the series, has inspired various imitations worldwide. In 2006, Iranian businessman Mojtaba Asadian started a Central Perk franchise, registering the name in 32 countries. The decor of the coffee houses are inspired by the one in Friends, featuring replica couches, counters, neon signage and bricks.

The coffee houses also contain paintings of the various characters from the series, and televisions playing Friends’ episodes. James Michael Tyler, who plays the Central Perk waiter in the series, Gunther, attended the grand opening of the Dubai cafe, where he worked as a waiter.

 As part of a museum exhibit at Warner Bros. Studios, Central Perk was rebuilt and shown on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in October 2008. Lisa Kudrow revisited the set for the first time after the series finale in 2004