Famous four quit the city for Eastern adventure

He did it by taking Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte out of the comfort zone of the Big Apple and placing them in the dusty desert environs of the Middle East.

Messing with his collective audience's expectations was a risky prospect. But King got the wholehearted support of his star quartet. What's more, the reunion turned into what actress/producer Sarah Jessica Parker called "probably the great professional experience of my life".

Well, she would say that, wouldn't she? Like Friends' Jennifer Aniston, Parker has struggled to forge a movie career beyond her TV fame. After six series of Sex and the City and the big screen follow-up, she's still mired in TV. For some, Sarah Jessica Parker was, is and always will be Carrie Bradshaw.

There have been stories about the off-set dynamic surrounding Parker and co-stars Kim Cattrall, Kristen Davis and Cynthia Nixon. More than one newspaper, from respected broadsheets to scandal rags, have hinted that the foursome aren't as close as their publicists would have us believe.

But who in their right mind would turn down the chance to be part of another box office bonanza? Not Parker. While she engages in gushing producer-speak, she also confesses that the road to the sequel wasn't a smooth one.

"We thought it couldn't be done," she confesses. "We had, as usual, typically wonderful obstacles that were thrown in our path, and it was thrilling to try to beat them down. The greatest part of the experience for me was the almost two months we spent in Morocco.

"I got to live with this cast, which I've never had an opportunity to do before. It became probably the great professional experience of my life. It was a remarkable time – challenging and thrilling." Taking place two years after the events played out in the first spin-off movie, this adventure takes the girls to Morocco (doubling as the United Arab Emirates) after PR guru Samantha Jones (Cattrall) is asked to work her magic on a swish hotel by its Arabian owner. Naturally, she takes her pals along for fun.

Those two years have seen some seismic life changes. Carrie Bradshaw is now Mrs John Preston, having pursued and married Big, the man of her dreams.

Maybe she's grown up at last. But Carrie is also looking for answers – to the question of what happens to someone after they say "I do". She wears a wedding ring but it sits uncomfortably on her finger. Career girl Miranda Hobbes (Nixon) has hit a glass ceiling and wonders is this all there is? The bitter, cynical and brittle workaholic has evolved into an emotionally mature older sister for her three buddies.

The ever-hopeful Charlotte York-Goldenblatt (Davis) is struggling to be perfect in an imperfect world. Life ain't easy and she's struggling

as her fantasies explode around her. Samantha is still the single, smart hedonist. But she's facing down the truth of getting older and the menopause. "These four individuals are really one complete woman," says fifty-something Cattrall, betraying no self-confidence issues.

"I can see myself on any given day as any single one of them – to have a morning like Carrie or an afternoon like Charlotte and, hopefully, an evening like Samantha. That's the brilliance of the writing of the show.

"I love playing Samantha. She's such a free character, no judgment. After 14 years, my God, it's a second skin that you just put on. But even having said that, there are still challenging things that Michael is still writing for all of us. In my case, menopause. The show keeps growing in a sense because it's new. It will never die as long as we have a story that is new and fresh to tell."

Kristin Davis says the chemistry was what drove Sex and the City forward.

"You don't get that very often," she says. "Usually, you have to work to make it seem like you are married to the person or friends with the person. You have to do your research and rehearse. But we all have this amazing instant chemistry that we had in the beginning. And that has only grown. We just clicked, you know?"

Cynthia Nixon lives in New York with her partner. She is convinced that the Sex and the City vibe and sense of belonging can cross continents. Be it Manhattan or Morocco, you can't escape the fact that Carrie and Co are all New York gals – wherever they may be in the world. "There are so many other places in the world where if you want to go anywhere, you have to get into your car, and are very isolated," she asserts. "In New York, you are on the subway or on the bus. Even taking a cab you're walking down the street and interacting with people. It's a great leveller.

"Even though there's great economic disparity and all sorts of things like that, I do feel with New York that there's a sense that we're all in it together."

Sex and the City 2 is on nationwide release.