Friends are the new family:

You're more likely to eat together, spend time together, holiday together and pull Xmas crackers. Friends are the new family, but why, and when did it all change?

When did it all change?

Friends has been a massive hit worldwide, partly because it plays on the new importance of friends today, and their role as a second family. However there wasn't a sudden change in the role of our families - we have gradually moved away from families living, working and playing together in small villages to the scattered-across-the-world model we have today.

As it became more commonplace for women to work rather than staying home with the kids, the whole family structure changed. Relationships and careers pushed family members out across the globe, leaving reunions and communications few and far between.

"Our families are left scattered all over the place. Friends, who are usually closer in proximity, become the prime people we spend our time with and confide in."