The decision to axe the series
Channel 4 canceled Married at First Sight UK following allegations of rape and sexual misconduct from female participants. This decision followed two separate reviews triggered by two women alleging they were raped during filming and a third woman alleging she suffered a non-consensual sex act. These allegations surfaced during a BBC Panorama broadcast in May. Channel 4 subsequently removed all episodes from its linear and streaming services and shut down the social media channels for the series. One man was arrested on suspicion of rape, though every man accused of the conduct denied the allegations. The show, which is based on an Australian format, involves single people marrying strangers they meet for the first time on their wedding day. Although the marriages are not legally binding, the show became one of Channel 4’s biggest hits. The series relied on the willingness of its contributors to embrace a social experiment at the heart of the show, which had been enjoyed by millions of viewers.
Review findings and the CEO’s verdict
Priya Dogra, the chief executive of Channel 4, concluded that the show has run its course over 10 years because the proposed welfare changes would impact the show’s core structure too heavily. Former BBC One controller Lorraine Heggessey led a review that suggested the production could continue if the broadcaster implemented enhanced contributor welfare frameworks and changed the format. Heggessey described the existing safeguards as extensive, extremely thorough and of a high standard. She specifically proposed measures such as 24/7 recording and housing participants in separate bedrooms on their wedding night. Priya Dogra said that implementing all the recommendations from the Heggessey review would require a level of intervention, monitoring and supervision that would fundamentally alter the format and the core idea of the show. Dogra said on Thursday that while the series had been enjoyed by millions, she had to consider when it was the right time for Channel 4 to move on from a format. Dogra noted that while the review praised the welfare protocols, the implementation of the recommendations provoked fundamental questions about the editorial proposition of a show involving many talented people in its production. Channel 4 will instead reinvest the budget used for the show into other productions to find the next generation of distinctive and disruptive British television.
Legal reviews and production status
The law firm Clyde & Co led a second review that examined the welfare protocols in place during the period of the Panorama allegations. This review examined whether the welfare protocols sufficiently fulfilled Channel 4’s duty of care obligations as set out by the media regulator Ofcom. The firm found that the welfare protocols complied with the Ofcom code and made no findings that Channel 4 breached the code, yet the review also found isolated incidents where the welfare framework was not fully implemented. Based on the evidence available and the balance of probabilities, the Clyde & Co review found the existing protocols were compliant with Ofcom’s broadcasting code. The firm also found that Channel 4 and CPL could have undertaken a more structured, longer-term review over several series and identified areas that could have been strengthened. Heggessey found that with improvements to the existing contributor welfare framework and changes to the MAFS format, it would be reasonable to continue making the show. Channel 4 will not broadcast series six because the production did not use the strengthened protocols recommended in the reviews, and the spin-off Second Married at First Sight, which CPL had in pre-production with casting scheduled for the summer, will not resume production. Ofcom has launched its own investigation into the show regarding fairness and privacy.
