Digital Spy presents Friends Week - seven days of special features celebrating 20 years of the US sitcom that became a cultural phenomenon.

Ross, Rachel, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler and Monica were always at the heart of Friends - but many of the most memorable moments from US TV's best-loved sitcom in fact came from its big-name guest stars.

Here are seven guest appearances that stole the show from the Central Perk six - as selected by the team here at Digital Spy.

13 Friends characters, 20 years on: What happened to Tag, Eddie and the rest?

Friends: The definitive ranking of all the love interests… ever

1. Hugh Laurie (Morgan Jeffery, TV Editor)

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

In season four's two-part finale, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) came to the realisation that she was still in love with ex-boyfriend Ross (David Schwimmer) and boarded a last-minute plane to London to interrupt his wedding. High on a heady cocktail of love and alcohol, a passionate Ms Green was keen to share tales of her romantic saga with her fellow passengers, until one took exception...

Hugh Laurie's blisteringly funny cameo is simply the greatest Friends guest spot that ever was. One of many Brit stars to cameo in this two-parter, the future star of House hilariously demolishes Rachel's sentimental scheme, finally resolves the "We were on a break!" debate and delivers the greatest ever pronunciation of the nickname "Pheebs" - all in less than a minute of screen-time. Top work, Hugh.

2. Bruce Willis (Tom Eames, Entertainment Reporter)

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

As the legend goes, Bruce agreed to appear in Friends for free after losing a bet with Matthew Perry on the set of The Whole Nine Yards. The bet was definitely worth it, as he ended up winning an Emmy for his appearance as Ross's nemesis Paul Stevens.

Paul was the scary father of Ross's much younger girlfriend Elizabeth, and he didn't keep his animosity towards Ross a secret, at all. Bruce is excellent as a suave and sexy single parent, who you definitely don't want to cross. After a couple of episodes as stoic and mean Paul, he's soon revealed to be a bit of a nerd whose prowess with the ladies isn't as impressive as the gang first thought. His fear of chickens and his 'neat guy' pep talk are still among my personal favourite Friends moments.

3. Jennifer Saunders and Tom Conti (Kate Goodacre, Chief Sub-Editor)

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Friends' London specials are packed with guest cameos, best summed up as "the good, the bad and the Fergie". However, Tom Conti and Jennifer Saunders clearly steal the show with their passive-aggressive dynamic, as the parents Waltham desperately attempt to keep up appearances ahead of Ross and Emily's wedding.

Saunders brings her trademark spark and sass to proceedings as Emily's vapid stepmother Andrea - no less than when she brazenly hits on Ross after he screws up his relationship with Emily (Helen Baxendale) at the altar. But Conti, playing Emily's uptight dad Steven, delivers his one-liners with understated yet poisonous relish ("I could kill you with my thumb, you know"). Never mind Joey, NBC should have commissioned a spinoff with these two.

Friends Week: James Michael Tyler on being Gunther

Friends Week: Maggie Wheeler on being Janice

4. Reese Witherspoon (Emma Dibdin, Features Editor)

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Watching Rachel mature from spoiled brat into endearing everywoman is what makes you fall in love with her, and Witherspoon's guest turn as her terrible, terrible younger sister Jill highlights just how far she's come.

Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston spark brilliantly off each other, as Jill comes to town to start a new life in a funhouse mirror image of Rachel's season one journey, and ends up sponging off her sister and dating Ross out of spite. Because Jill is the worst. And Witherspoon, as she proved most famously in Election, is the best at the playing the worst.

5. Adam Goldberg (Tom Mansell, Video Producer)

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

When Joey got his own apartment in season two, Chandler found a new roommate - Eddie, a jittery paranoid neurotic who he met in the ethnic foods aisle in the supermarket ("I helped him pick out a chorizo").

Unfortunately, a love of spicy sausage proved to be all they had in common as Eddie failed to fill the Joey-shaped hole in Chandler's life, preferring to spend his time dehydrating fruit over playing foosball or watching Yasmine Bleeth run around on Baywatch. Eventually Chandler gives his new roomie the boot after Eddie accuses him of sleeping with his ex-girlfriend and killing his fish, "because sometimes... when you sleep with someone, you have to kill a fish!"

One of Friends' classic oddballs, Eddie is perfectly played by Adam Goldberg, who gives a great physical performance to compliment the surreal character. The archetypical housemate from hell, he was eccentric, he was hilarious and he is STANDING IN THE WINDOW, HOLDING A HUMAN HEAD!

6. Jon Lovitz (Mayer Nissim, News Editor)

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Jon Lovitz stole an entire movie from under the noses of Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore (1998's The Wedding Singer) , so yoinking an episode of Friends was easy peasy. In 'The One With The Stoned Guy', Phoebe brings Lovitz's restaurateur Steve over to the apartment so Monica can cook for him. Only problem is, he got stoned in the cab on the way over and has an overwhelming case of the munchies and total lack of social awareness.

"Tartlets? Tartlets? Tartlets? Word is lost on me." Unable to wait a mere eight minutes for said tartlets, Steve raids the apartment for nibbles, ending up in a gummy bears disaster. A record 193 episodes later, Steve returned. Phoebe set Rachel up with him in a bid to drive her back into Ross's arms. In a show famous for great dialogue and set-ups, Lovitz out-does everyone with just a range of facial expressions.

7. Jim Rash (Catriona Wightman, Entertainment Editor)

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

I agonised over choosing a favourite guest star - there are so many, from Brad Pitt's legendary appearance to Jennifer Coolidge's terrible accent to the late Robin Williams to so many more - but in the end I wanted to go a bit left-field and chose Jim Rash.

Yes, the Dean from Community sticks in our mind after his fabulous cameo in the wonderful final episode. Hearing from Rachel that Phoebe is concerned about the plane's "left phalange", he puts in a fantastic, flamboyant performance, refusing to fly until the problem is fixed. When a flight attendant points out that there is no phalange, that only works him up more - and he ends up essentially leading a mutiny ("THERE IS NO PHALANGE!").

Of course, Jim's character did us all a service by delaying Rachel's plane – allowing Ross enough time to get to the airport and profess his love for her. Without him, Rachel would never have "got off the plane" (the second time).

Friends fans in the UK can watch the show on Comedy Central.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io