Channel Five has picked up the tab to continuation of the story of Joey Tribianni now that Friends has ended.

Channel 4 was the industry favourite to take on the spin-off series because of their existing contract with Warner Bros. over Friends. That gave them an exclusive negotiating period but 4 ultimately decided that they, “could not reconcile the value they (Warner Bros.) placed on the show with our assessment of its audience potential.”

The show, imaginatively titled Joey, follows Matt LeBlanc’s simple, struggling actor as he moves to Hollywood. Other Friends, Jennifer Aniston & David Schwimmer, have agreed to make special guest appearances on the series that will air in the US this autumn.

Along with the deal, Channel Five also made a commitment to take Two and a Half Men starring Charlie Sheen (a man’s life gets disrupted when his brother and 10 year old son move in).