£2m cost of Friends spot

Advertisers will be charged a record £2.2million a minute during the final episode of hit sitcom Friends.

The show, about six flat-sharing friends in New York, ends in the US on Thursday.

It is expected to pull in an audience of up to 50million after ten series stretching back over ten years.

The anticipated ratings have enabled broadcaster NBC to charge the highest rates ever for a sitcom.

Charges during the Superbowl are thought to be the highest of all.

Since its debut in September 1994, Friends has made household names of stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox Arquette, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer.

But after 236 episodes, 44 Emmy awards and £3billion in revenue for NBC, its run will end with a one-hour retrospective and an hour-long finale.

NBC is keeping the details of the final episode tightly under wraps so viewers are yet to find out if Ross, Rachel and baby Emma live happily ever after, Monica and Chandler get the child of their dreams, married life suits Phoebe, or Joey comes to terms with his friends growing up.

British viewers will have to wait until later this month to find out.

Afterwards, the six stars, who are each paid £675,000 an episode, are going their separate ways.

LeBlanc will star in a spin-off programme based on his character, Joey.

Aniston, married to Brad Pitt, is concentrating on a remake of the 1966 British film Gambit and Schwimmer is starring in an independent comedy film, Duane Hopwood.