How does a police appeal for information about a theft at a Blackpool restaurant lead to Twitter users posting references to the TV sitcom Friends? Here’s how.
Police in Blackpool had posted on Facebook asking for witnesses to identify a suspect pictured carrying what appeared to be a carton of cans.
Facebook users quickly piled into the comments section, pointing out the suspect’s likeness to David Schwimmer’s character Ross Geller in the well-loved US show.
Do you recognise this man? We want to speak to him in relation to a theft at a Blackpool restaurant on the 20th…
Posted by Blackpool Police on Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Uncanny, right? Well, Lancashire Constabulary confirmed Schwimmer was in America on the date of the incident, and, playing along, Schwimmer posted his own video clearing his name.
Officers, I swear it wasn't me.As you can see, I was in New York.To the hardworking Blackpool Police, good luck with the investigation.#itwasntme pic.twitter.com/EDFF9dZoYR
— schwim (@DavidSchwimmer) October 24, 2018
“Officers, I swear it wasn’t me. As you can see, I was in New York. To the hardworking Blackpool Police, good luck with the investigation. #itwasntme” Schwimmer wrote.
The post was immediately retweeted by tens of thousands of people, and as you can imagine the replies were mostly of a similar nature.
— floweroflondon (@floweroflondon) October 24, 2018
— Jen (@jenny346) October 24, 2018
Classic episodes were referenced, such as Ross discovering Joey had proposed to Rachel.
— Phil Watson #FBPE #lowskilledHELecturer (@PhillWatson1970) October 24, 2018
And who could forget The One With Unagi – ahhh, salmon skin roll.
— Nees (@NesreenMoussa) October 24, 2018
It's all that unagi practice @DavidSchwimmer #SoStealth https://t.co/YAphp69GaU
— Annie Green 🐻 (@anniegreenyo) October 24, 2018
Of course, no Ross reference is complete without mention of whether or not they were on a break…
Maybe "He was on a break" https://t.co/LrAyiR87EJ
— Lambert's Coaches (@LambertsCoaches) October 24, 2018
And while Schwimmer was in America on the day of the incident, some joked that it could well have been his in-show doppelganger (also played by Schwimmer).
It wasn't Ross, it was Russ! 🤣🤣 https://t.co/IGJ8uMCJjY
— Vaishali Singh (@imvaishalisingh) October 24, 2018
That’s clearly Russ, trying to frame Ross for ending up with Rachel 🤣😂 pic.twitter.com/nD6ZhaDjXC
— ellie (@Prettyinpinks) October 24, 2018
Keep your eyes peeled for Russ, everybody.