Compare with Four Weddings and a Funeral

First let me say that I really enjoyed this series when it first aired on TV. However, does anyone else out there think, like me, that the idea behind it was ripped off by Richard Curtis for his film Four Weddings and a Funeral?. After all, the film is also about the ups and downs of a group of people who only meet at social functions. To me the similarities are obvious but the main DIFFERENCE is that the film was not really very good, even allowing for all the hype it received, whereas this TV series was brilliant.