A ‘Friends’ script that was found in the trash is auctioned for $28,000

On May 7, 1998, the world held its breath as Ross Geller said “I do” to his bride Emily.... and called her Rachel. That confusion became one of the most iconic scenes of the series Friends, which was already a mainstay during the 1990s and early 2000s. That was the finale of the fourth season, a double episode in which a chaotic wedding in London introduced a plot twist; that was when Monica and Chandler, played by Courteney Cox and the recently deceased Matthew Perry, spent their first clandestine night together and ended up becoming one of television’s most famous couples. With so many great TV moments and a live episode that was watched by nearly 32 million people, one would have thought that the script would have been kept under lock and key. But no. The script turned up in a trash can. Its final fate has been more dignified: it has been auctioned and sold for £22,000 (about $28,000 or €25,500).

A worker at Fountain Studios, located in Wembley, on the outskirts of London, discovered the final four drafts that later shaped the first and second parts of The Ross Wedding episode in a dumpster. The episode was filmed and the wedding chapel was re-created there. After the worker discovered the script drafts, he decided to put them up for sale through Hanon Ross, a British auction house.

The estimated selling price was between £600 and £800, or just over $1,000. But soon the auction started, and it received incessant bidding. It is not known who got the script, but as the BBC reported, it was “an international internet buyer.” Up to 219 people from all over the world bid on the script, and it was ultimately purchased for £22,000, £28,864 with taxes and fees (€33,500 or $36,700). As Hanson Ross’s head of operations explained to the British media, “the global interest was impressive. I can’t believe that result and the impact this discovery has had. Buyers are going crazy for this type of script.” Originals are a specialty of Hanson Ross, which has sold a multitude of letters and Christmas cards signed by Princess Diana (some for over $2,000), photographs signed by Queen Elizabeth II, Frank Sinatra and Charlie Chaplin, and one of the first 500 printed copies of the first Harry Potter book for £60,000 (€70,000-$76,000).

We do not know who bought the script, who the first owner was, or how the drafts ended up in the trash, but people at the auction house assume that a member of the cast or a worker on the show must have been the original owner. The Fountain has existed for almost a century, when it had the best and best-equipped sound studios in the UK. Since then, there has been constant activity. In addition to shows and films (the Beatles passed through there and The Princess Bride and David Lynch’s The Elephant Man were filmed there), many of the British versions of Masterchef, X Factor and Got Talent have been shot there. The identity of the person who found them is unknown, but they had the script drafts forgotten in a drawer for some time (Hanson Ross does not specify whether they were found in 1998 or later) and now, having found them again, they decided to put them up for sale.

Friends, which became one of the most important and well-known shows of the end of the 20th century, continues to attract millions of fans around the world 20 years after it ended. In Los Angeles, where most of the show was filmed, the Warner sound studio where the main characters’ apartments and the Central Perk cafe were located has been named after the show. During visits, tourists can see it from the outside, as well as the show’s famous fountain and sofa (which is not a sofa as such; it is made of fiberglass) from the opening credits, the café set and even a true cafeteria with glasses and cups like those used in Central Perk. And, of course, there are many stores where one can buy all kinds of souvenirs, books and clothes.

Matthew Perry’s death last October has increased interest in everything related to the series. As Variety reported, in November Friends not only became the most watched series in the HBO Max catalog in the United States, but also the most watched streaming show in the country. At the Critics’ Choice Awards on Sunday night in California, Jennifer Aniston encouraged fans to “celebrate” Perry’s life and legacy. When the Emmys take place this Monday, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences will also pay tribute to the five-time Emmy nominee.

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