All-star table reads are all the rage right now and, after Jennifer Anniston, Brad Pitt and co took part in a hugely popular read of the ’80s teen drama Fast Times at Ridgemont High last week, another high profile event is on the way.

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This time round, an all-black cast are performing an episode of beloved sitcom Friends, with the event set to be hosted by Gabrielle Union - who herself appeared in an episode of the show back in 2001.

The stars taking part include Sterling K. Brown (The People v. O. J. Simpson) as Ross, recent Emmy winner Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black, Mrs America) as Phoebe and Ryan Bathe (First Wives Club) as Rachel.

Meanwhile, the roles of Monica, Joey and Chandler will be played by Aisha Hinds (9-1-1), Kendrick Sampson (How to Get Away with Murder) and Jeremy Pope (Hollywood) respectively, while Salli Richardson-Whitfield will direct.

The episode chosen for the table read is the series three episode The One Where No One’s Ready, which sees Ross desperately attempt to get the gang dressed and ready for a black-tie benefit at the museum.

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Read on for how to watch the all-Black table read of Friends.

What time is the Friends table read?

The event will be live streamed on Zoom and start at 6pm Eastern Time.

This means an 11pm start time for viewers and Friends fans in the UK.

How to watch the Friends table read

To watch you just need to head to the website Zoom Where It Happens and sign up on the right hand side of the page, after which you will be able to join the table read wherever you are in the world.

In the past the beloved show has come under fire for a lack of diversity on screen during its 10-year run between 1994 and 2004 and, earlier in 2020, Friends star David Schwimmer said that any reboot of the show should be "all-black or all-Asian".

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Meanwhile, Friends creator Marta Kaufman said in June that she “wish[es]” she’d done more to promote diversity during her career in television, explaining: "I wish I knew then what I know today... I would’ve made very different decisions. I mean we’ve always encouraged people of diversity in our company, but I didn’t do enough and now all I can think about is what can I do?”
UK subscribers can watch all seasons of Friends on Netflix. You can also check out the best series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix to keep you entertained or visit to our TV Guide for more to watch.

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