The highly anticipated Friends reunion special could film as soon as next month, star David Schwimmer said.

The one-off programme has been repeatedly delayed by the pandemic and was originally set to arrive on the HBO Max streaming platform in May last year.

Schwimmer, who played palaeontologist Ross Geller on the beloved sitcom, revealed fans may not have much longer to wait.

Speaking on SiriusXM’s Radio Andy, he said: “It’s happening. Actually, in a little over a month I’m heading out to LA.

“So, finally, I mean, we figured out a way to film it safely and there’s going to be a portion of it that we filmed outside because of, you know, for safety protocols.”

Schwimmer, 54, also addressed speculation over who would be hosting the special and confirmed it is not Ellen DeGeneres.

“I can tell you it’s not Ellen and it’s not Billy Crystal,” Schwimmer said. “I can tell you who it’s not, but that’ll take a while, probably.”

Lisa Kudrow, who played eccentric masseuse Phoebe Buffay, previously shared details about the special and said the actors would not be in character.

She said: “It is not a reboot, it is not like a scripted thing, we are not portraying our characters.

“It is us getting together, which just doesn’t happen and has never happened in front of other people since 2004 when we stopped.”

She added the programme will feature the cast “talking in a coffee house room” and “some sets will be up”.

“I think it will be great,” she added.

As well as Schwimmer and Kudrow, Friends stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry will all feature in the special.

Friends ran for 10 series from 1994 and remains one of the most popular shows on TV.