Friends SEASON 1 SET 2

Kickstarting the international explosion of sofa-packed coffee houses and ridiculously oversized cups, the first season of "Friends" revolutionised the sitcom genre. Instead of focusing on a nuclear family, this depiction of six single New Yorkers was a revelation at the time. The first of an impressive ten seasons, looking back at the early episodes is rather nostalgic, in spite of the show's all too evident flaws: when do these characters work? Why is Monica's apartment so much nicer than Chandlers when they're only feet apart, and how does she afford it on her salary (the dead grandmother excuses that came later never really washed)? Furthermore, the characters are, quite frankly, irritating at times - ridiculously stereotyped, they don't seem to discover their personalities until a few series down the line.

In spite of all that, it can't be denied that the scripts are great fun - Chandler shines, in particular, for spewing out his witty oneliners with remarkable precision. Phoebe's "kookiness" is far more focused than it is in later seasons, when they seem to try and normalise her, and as a result she's a great source of humour for the show. This is also the beginning of Ross and Rachel's future romance which, as we all know, flits between on and off more times than your average light switch and is therefore compulsive viewing. It's great to be able to return to these early episodes, so get your hands on this DVD set now - it's an absolute classic.