Ray Romano admits the Everybody Loves Raymond reunion was "a little bittersweet"

He told The Hollywood Reporter: "There was a little bit of a time travel feeling. Then it got weird because it didn't feel weird anymore.

"We all felt like we never left. It was a bit of a mind-blowing thing. We're all older; our kids grew up on set.

"It brought back memories - it was sweet and it was nice, but also a little bittersweet."

The sitcom's creator Phil Rosenthal - who was also part of the reunion - revealed that the team behind the special programme paid attention to every little detail.

He added: "That set was so good, I think people probably thought it had just been sitting there forever.

"The moment our show was done, they took it down and took it apart, and then used it for parts on other sets.

"But they re-created it down to the refrigerator magnets. It was a very surreal and beautiful kind of Twilight Zone."

The reunion was an emotional one for the cast and the show's fans, with photos of late castmates Peter Boyle, Doris Roberts and Sawyer Sweeten appearing on screen.

Ray admitted he was surprised by how emotional he got, particularly recounting memories of Boyle, who played his on-screen dad Frank Barone.

He said: "I didn't expect that I would tear up - I don't know if it was noticeable - talking about Peter Boyle and the piece of advice he gave me when we were filming the pilot. That caught me off guard."

Boyle died aged 71 in 2006 from multiple myeloma and heart disease, while the TV family's matriarch Roberts (Marie Barone) died aged 90 a decade later.

Child star Sawyer Sweeten, who played Geoffrey Barone - one of Ray's twin sons on the show - tragically took his own life in 2015 aged 19.

Meanwhile, Phil also found himself fighting back tears, with the first instance coming early in the special as he reflected on the incredible group of people involved in the classic sitcom.

He revealed: "The first one - I was on stage with Ray and Patty.

"We had just seen a clip, and I got emotional because I realised how lucky I was and how great they were.

"Not just the two of them, but all of our cast, our guest actors, and all our writers and crew."