Channel 4 cancels Married at First Sight UK after abuse allegations review

Channel 4 has cancelled the British version of Married at First Sight, ending the reality series after 10 seasons and withdrawing a forthcoming season that had already been filmed. The decision follows a review launched after three former contestants made allegations of sexual assault or misconduct during their participation. The broadcaster also removed previous seasons from its streaming platform in May, after a BBC Panorama investigation reported allegations from two women who said they had been raped and a third woman who alleged sexual misconduct.

The men involved have denied the allegations. According to the BBC, one woman said her on-screen husband raped her and threatened her with an acid attack. A second woman said she had told Channel 4 and the independent production company, CPL, about an alleged rape before her episodes were broadcast.

Shona Manderson, the only woman identified in the reports, accused her on-screen husband of sexual misconduct. Channel 4 commissioned a two-part review. Law firm Clyde & Co examined the welfare arrangements and the handling of concerns, while former BBC executive Lorraine Heggessey assessed the programme’s welfare protocols and format.

Clyde & Co found that the arrangements complied with the Ofcom broadcasting code and did not find a code breach in the handling of the issues at the relevant times. It did, however, identify a small number of occasions when the procedures were not fully applied. One involved contestants breaching rules on prohibited substances but receiving a first and final warning rather than being removed, the BBC reported.

Heggessey described the welfare framework as extensive and thorough, but concluded that parts of the format increased the show’s risk profile. The programme’s emphasis on intimacy, she said, could implicitly pressure participants to become intimate. Her recommendations included monitored CCTV in all apartment areas, welfare-team oversight, panic buttons and safe words.

Heggessey said the series could have continued if the framework were strengthened and the format adjusted. Her account differs in emphasis from Channel 4’s final decision: the review did not find the format inherently unsafe, but the broadcaster said implementing all the recommendations would fundamentally alter the programme. Channel 4 chief executive Priya Dogra said the show had “run its course” after a decade.

She apologised to the women involved in the BBC investigation and said welfare remained a primary concern across the broadcaster’s programmes. She also said the show’s budget would be reinvested in new programming. Ofcom said it would consider the published reports as it worked to strengthen guidance for broadcasters, reiterating that participants in programmes are owed a duty of care.

CPL has previously described its welfare system as industry-leading and said it acted appropriately in the cases raised.