Channel 4 has pulled all previous seasons of Married at First Sight UK from its streaming platforms following “very serious allegations of wrongdoing” made against a small number of past contributors, the broadcaster said.
The BBC reported that two women said they were raped during filming of the dating show, while a third described an allegation of a non-consensual sex act.
The programme sees single people matched by experts to “marry” strangers who they meet for the first time on their wedding day. The broadcaster said that all previous seasons of MAFS UK have been removed from its streaming and linear services. The show is produced for Channel 4 by independent production company CPL.
One woman told BBC Panorama that her onscreen husband raped her and threatened her with an acid attack. She is now pursuing a legal claim against CPL.
An actress stood in for the woman, named Lizzie, to protect her anonymity. She said on the programme: “When we were alone in the apartment, he kept bruising me during sex, I kept saying stop, but he carried on, and this would happen every time we’d had sex after this point.”
Lawyers for her onscreen husband said he denies rape and said that all sexual contact was entirely consensual. He also denies being violent towards her or making violent threats to her, they said, according to the BBC.
A second said that she told both Channel 4 and CPL, before broadcast, about being allegedly raped by her onscreen husband, but that her episodes were still aired, the BBC reported.
An actress stood in for the second woman under the pseudonym Chloe and alleged she had been groped while she was asleep by her on-screen husband.
Chloe then shared another occasion on the programme where she had said “no” after he had asked her if they should have sex. She said he proceeded anyway.
“By that time, I’d like really given up, and I’d sort of.. I just didn’t want him to be angry at me when the cameras came. I just lay there, and I stared out the window,” she said, adding that after a while he realised she was not participating and got angry that she hadn’t “shouted and screamed” her rejection.
Lawyers for Chloe’s on-screen husband said that he challenged details of her account, according to the broadcaster. Lawyers reportedly said the sex started consensually, but Chloe communicated through her body language that she’d withdrawn consent, and he then stopped immediately. He denied groping her, the lawyers said.
A third woman accused her onscreen husband of ejaculating inside her without permission when they were having sex.
She said: “I want to share my story and hope that it can actually start a serious conversation about moving forward and putting more things in place, because at the end of the day, I shouldn’t have been in that situation.”
The alleged abuser released a statement where he categorically denied “any allegations of sexual misconduct” or that he was “controlling”.
He insisted their relationship “was based on mutual consent, care and affection,” according to the broadcaster.
Baroness Kennedy, chair of the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA), said there should be an investigation into the women’s claims: “I think Channel Four really should be bringing in some sort of investigatory team to have a look at this, and it should always be external.”
She then called for the show to no longer be on air: “I personally don’t think it should be on air at all. I just don’t see the right kind of protections being put in place that would absolutely guarantee a prevention of the things that we’ve been hearing about.”
Channel 4 issued a statement on Monday stating it could not comment on the “serious allegations of wrongdoing” against its past contributors, all of whom had denied the accusations against them.
“In April, Channel 4 was presented with serious allegations of wrongdoing against a small number of past contributors, allegations that we understand those contributors have denied,” the statement read.
“The channel is mindful of the privacy and continuing duty of care towards all contributors, and cannot comment on or disclose details of those allegations.
“Related to those allegations, Channel 4 was asked to respond to claims of failures in welfare protocols. Channel 4 believes that when concerns related to contributor welfare were raised through existing welfare and production protocols, prompt and appropriate action was taken, based on the information available at the time.
“Channel 4 strongly refutes any claim to the contrary.”
Priya Dogra, chief executive of Channel 4, said: “I want to express my sympathy to contributors who have clearly been distressed after taking part in Married At First Sight UK. The wellbeing of our contributors is always of paramount importance.
“It would be wholly inappropriate for me to comment on what are very serious allegations made against some MAFS UK contributors.
“Those allegations – which I understand are disputed by the contributors accused – are not something that Channel 4 is in a position to adjudicate on.
“We are also mindful of our ongoing duty of care to all contributors, and the need to preserve the anonymity and privacy of all involved.
“On the claims that Channel 4 may have failed in its duty of care, I believe that when concerns about contributor welfare were raised, and based on the information available at the time, Channel 4 acted quickly, appropriately, sensitively and with wellbeing front and centre.”
Channel 4 said that MAFS UK is produced under “some of the most comprehensive and robust welfare protocols in the industry”, including background checks, a code of conduct setting out behavioural standards and “daily contributor check-ins with a specialist welfare team”.
Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673).