LONDON (AP) — Broadcaster Channel 4 has pulled all episodes of “Married at First Sight UK” from its platforms after three contestants claimed they were sexually assaulted by on-screen partners on the matchmaking reality show.
The broadcaster said the allegations are “very serious,” and the British government said Tuesday there must be “consequences for criminality or wrongdoing.”
“Married at First Sight” is an international reality TV franchise inspired
by a Danish original, with editions in countries including the U.S., Australia and South Africa. Strangers are matched by experts and move in together after mock wedding ceremonies.
Two women who appeared on the British show say they were raped by their on-screen husbands, and a third claims she was subjected to a nonconsensual sexual act.
The claims were made during an investigation by the BBC current affairs program “Panorama.” The BBC said the claimants have not contacted the police, and the men involved dispute the allegations.
Conservative lawmaker Caroline Dinenage, who heads the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, told the BBC that the show clearly involves “an element of risk.”
“It’s a TV show that almost expects and anticipates people that have only just met will have to become really quite intimate with each other,” she told the BBC. “They’re expected to share a bed and a life together within minutes of meeting. It almost feels like an accident waiting to happen.”
The U.K. version of the program is made by independent production company CPL. It has run for 10 seasons on Channel 4, with an 11th scheduled for broadcast this year. CPL did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The broadcaster said the show is produced under “some of the most comprehensive and robust welfare protocols in the industry,” including background checks, a code of conduct setting out behavioral standards and “daily contributor check-ins with a specialist welfare team.”
It has ordered a review of its welfare standards and procedures.
“I want to express my sympathy to contributors who have clearly been distressed after taking part in ‘Married at First Sight UK,’” Channel 4 chief executive Priya Dogra said. “The well-being of our contributors is always of paramount importance.”
The claims are the latest incident to spark debate in Britain about the ethics of reality TV and the pressures placed on participants. Two former contestants on the show “Love Island” died by suicide in 2018 and 2019 and the show’s former presenter, Caroline Flack, took her own life in 2020.
