Channel 4 Cancels Married at First Sight UK After Rape Allegations and Review

Channel 4 said on Thursday that Married at First Sight UK will not return to screens, after a review prompted by serious allegations of misconduct during filming. The unaired next series will not be broadcast, and the planned spin-off Second Married at First Sight has also been cancelled and will not resume production.

The show matches strangers through experts and has them marry when they first meet. It is part of an international franchise in several countries, including the United States and Australia.

Allegations and a police investigation

Two women who participated in the show made allegations of rape, and a third made an allegation of sexual misconduct by their on-screen husbands, during a BBC Panorama documentary that aired in May. A third participant, Shona Manderson, accused her on-screen husband, Brad Skelly, of a non-consensual sex act.

All three men involved in the allegations have denied wrongdoing. Skelly denied any allegations of sexual misconduct and said he understood that Manderson was consenting.

In June, a cast member was arrested on suspicion of rape. The BBC reported the arrest in July, following its investigation. The Times reported that a Metropolitan Police investigation in relation to allegations made by a cast member remains ongoing.

Channel 4 removed all previous seasons of the show in May, after a BBC report detailed allegations of rape by two women during filming.

What the review found

A review by the law firm Clyde and Co examined 31,172 documents and 20 hours of broadcast and unbroadcast footage. It found that welfare protocols at Channel 4 and production company CPL complied with the Ofcom Broadcasting Code, and that there was no breach of the Code in the handling of issues raised. It also found isolated incidents where the welfare framework was not fully implemented.

A second part of the review, by former BBC executive Lorraine Heggessey, found the protocols were extensive, extremely thorough and of a high standard, Channel 4 said. The Heggessey review also found that some elements of the show could implicitly put pressure on contributors to be intimate, and that contributors could become dependent on production and lose touch with reality, affecting their decision-making.

The recommendations included couples sleeping in separate rooms on their wedding night and honeymoon, CCTV and panic buttons in their apartments, and lockable en-suite bathroom doors.

Channel 4 said neither element of the review sought to adjudicate on the serious allegations highlighted by Panorama, which it said remain a matter for the relevant authorities.

Why Channel 4 ended the show

Channel 4 chief executive Priya Dogra said implementing all of the review recommendations would fundamentally alter the show format, and that she believed it had run its course after 10 years. Dogra said she was very sorry for the distress those women have clearly felt, and said she hoped the broadcaster's actions, in swiftly commissioning the review and taking clear steps, demonstrated its commitment to the wellbeing of all contributors.

Dogra said the budget will be reinvested in distinctive new programming, in a new era of creative renewal at the broadcaster.

Production company CPL said it understood the decision, has always put contributor welfare at the heart of its programme making, and will continue to do so.

Ofcom said it noted the decision not to continue with the programme, and will carefully consider the reports published on Thursday as it strengthens its guidance for broadcasters.