Married At First Sight UK axed by Channel 4 following sexual misconduct allegations
Channel 4 has permanently axed Married At First Sight UK after independent reviews into safeguarding procedures and the show's format were commissioned following allegations of rape and sexual misconduct by three former contestants.
Married At First Sight UK has been permanently axed by Channel 4 following allegations of rape and sexual misconduct made by three former contestants.
The broadcaster has decided to scrap the popular reality dating show after commissioning two independent reviews into its safeguarding procedures and the format of the programme, which has been on screens for a decade.
The decision comes after two former brides alleged they were raped by their on-screen husbands, while a third contestant, Shona Manderson, accused her television husband Brad Skelly of performing a non-consensual sex act.
All three men have denied the allegations, which were detailed in a BBC Panorama investigation earlier this year.
Channel 4 chief executive Priya Dogra ordered the reviews following the allegations and has now concluded that the programme has "run its course", despite investigators finding no breaches of Ofcom's Broadcasting Code.
The decision means an entire pre-recorded series of Married At First Sight UK, which was filmed before the review was commissioned, will never be broadcast.
A planned spin-off, Second Married at First Sight, has also been cancelled after production was paused during the investigation.
Dogra said: "MAFS UK has been enjoyed by millions of viewers, made possible by the willingness of its contributors to embrace the social experiment at the heart of the show and the many talented people involved in its production.
“Whilst the review praised the welfare protocols in place and made no findings that Channel 4 breached the Ofcom code or that the format is inherently unsafe, I have to consider when is the right time for Channel 4 to move on from a format.
“The recommendations are eminently sensible and feasible, but considering their wholesale implementation provoked fundamental questions about the editorial proposition of a show that, I believe, has now run its course over 10 years.”
One of the independent reviews, conducted by law firm Clyde and Co, examined the welfare procedures in place during the series in which the alleged incidents occurred.
Investigators reviewed 20 hours of broadcast and unaired footage, analysed more than 31,000 documents and conducted 15 interviews with former participants.
Although the review found that Channel 4 and production company CPL had provided an adequate duty of care, it identified isolated incidents where safeguarding procedures had not been fully implemented.
It also concluded that both organisations could have carried out more structured long-term assessments of contributor welfare across multiple series.
A separate review, led by former BBC One controller Lorraine Heggessey, examined whether the programme could continue with strengthened safeguarding measures.
Among the recommendations were scrapping Intimacy Week and Partner Swap Week, providing contestants with separate bedrooms on their wedding nights and honeymoons, and reducing the number of couples and episodes.
The review also suggested allowing participants greater contact with their lives outside the programme and ensuring that couples immediately leave the experiment if either partner decides to end their relationship.
Other proposed measures included installing CCTV in communal areas of contestants' apartments, monitored around the clock by welfare staff, alongside the introduction of safe words and panic buttons.
While Heggessey concluded that the show could reasonably continue with the proposed changes, Channel 4 decided that implementing them would fundamentally alter its format.
The broadcaster previously removed episodes of Married At First Sight UK from its television and streaming services following the Panorama investigation.
Dogra also expressed sympathy for the women who came forward, although she stressed that the reviews were not intended to determine the truth of their allegations.
She said: "I would like to repeat that I am very sorry for the distress those women have clearly felt.
"I hope our actions – in swiftly commissioning the review and taking clear, decisive steps – demonstrate our commitment to the wellbeing of all contributors and our desire to relentlessly strengthen industry standards."
Married At First Sight UK, which follows strangers who meet for the first time at their wedding ceremonies before attempting to build relationships, had become one of Channel 4's most successful reality programmes.
The British version first launched in 2015 and later adopted a more dramatic format inspired by the Australian series, featuring commitment ceremonies, dinner parties and relationship experts.
Despite the show's popularity and the independent review's conclusion that it could continue with additional safeguards, Channel 4 has confirmed that no further series will be produced.
