Married at First Sight UK axed after rape allegations, Channel 4 confirms

Married at First Sight UK will not return. Channel 4 confirmed on Thursday that the show, one of its biggest hits, is over after a review prompted by a BBC investigation.

What happened?

Channel 4's chief executive Priya Dogra said the programme had "run its course" after 10 years. She apologised to the women involved and said she was "very sorry for the distress those women have clearly felt". The show's budget will be reinvested in "distinctive new programming".

The decision follows a review into the show's welfare, meaning the care of contributors. It had two parts. One, led by former BBC One Controller Lorraine Heggessey, looked at welfare protocols. The other, by law firm Clyde & Co, looked at how Channel 4 and the production company CPL handled the allegations.

Heggessey found the protocols were thorough and of a high standard. But she said "intimacy is a key focus" and some elements of the format could implicitly pressure contributors to be intimate. She suggested CCTV in all areas of the apartments, monitored constantly, plus panic buttons and safe words.

Clyde & Co found no breach of Ofcom's broadcasting code (the rules set by the UK media regulator). It did note "a small number of instances" where protocols were not fully applied. In one, contributors who broke the rules on prohibited substances got a final warning instead of being removed.

What had happened before?

In May, BBC Panorama reported that two women alleged rape by their onscreen husbands and a third alleged a non-consensual sex act. One woman also said she was threatened with an acid attack. The men deny all the allegations.

All three women said the show did not do enough to protect them. CPL's lawyers have said its welfare system is "gold standard" and that it acted appropriately.

Afterwards, episodes were removed from Channel 4's streaming service, a major sponsor pulled out and the new series was put on hold. Ofcom opened an investigation. In June, a male cast member was arrested on suspicion of rape.

What's next?

Heggessey said that with changes, continuing would have been reasonable. Dogra said making all the recommended changes raised "fundamental questions" about the show itself. Heggessey said she "completely understood" that choice.

Dogra also said the review could not rule on the allegations themselves. Dame Caroline Dinenage, who chairs the Commons culture and media committee, said axing the show "makes sense". She said everyone producing and regulating reality TV "must now learn and act".

Ofcom said it would consider the reports as it strengthens its guidance for broadcasters.