British broadcaster Channel 4 has removed all previous seasons of Married at First Sight, one of its flagship reality shows, after a BBC report detailing allegations of rape during the filming of the series.<\/p>\n
Channel 4, the publicly owned but commercially funded broadcaster established in the 1980s, said it launched a review into contributor welfare on the show, which was made by independent production company CPL.<\/p>\n
BBC News reported two women told the news service that they were raped during the filming of the show, while a third had described an allegation of a non-consensual sex act.<\/p>\n
They all said the show did not do enough to protect them, the report said.<\/p>\n
The BBC said only one claimant was willing to be identified on air: Shona Manderson, who appeared on the show in 2023.<\/p>\n
Manderson and her on-screen partner were removed from the show by the producers over concerns about their relationship, Channel 4 said at the time.<\/p>\n
Women’s Aid domestic abuse charity called the man’s behaviour “controlling”.<\/p>\n
The BBC reported that one other woman, whose real name is withheld on her request, wants to pursue legal action against the show’s independent production company.<\/p>\n
The report cited lawyers for CPL as saying its welfare system was “gold standard” and it had acted appropriately in all these cases.<\/p>\n
Channel 4 said in April it was presented with “serious allegations” of wrongdoing against a small number of past contributors, allegations “we understand those contributors have denied”.<\/p>\n
In its 2024 report, Channel 4 said the show topped its streaming charts for that year.<\/p>\n
There have been 10 seasons broadcast by Channel 4 on its E4 channel and its streaming platform.<\/p>\n
The show, where strangers are matched by experts and marry at first sight, is part of an international franchise across multiple countries, including the United States and Australia.<\/p>\n
“It would be wholly inappropriate for me to comment on what are very serious allegations made against some MAFS UK contributors. Those allegations \u2026 are not something that Channel 4 is in a position to adjudicate,” Channel 4 chief executive Priya Dogra said in the statement.<\/p>\n
“We take these issues very seriously and are committed to ensuring that we continue to lead the industry in our duty of care for contributors.”<\/p>\n
Channel 4 said it had removed all previous seasons of the show “out of an abundance of caution to avoid fuelling speculation or jigsaw identification” while the review was ongoing.<\/p>\n
The review is examining the welfare protocols in place on this program at the time claims were raised, as well as the handling by Channel 4 and CPL of those claims, the statement said.<\/p>\n
Britain’s media watchdog, Ofcom, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.<\/p>\n
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