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Channel 4 cancels Married At First Sight UK after review

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 5 Nov, 11:21 · Archive

Channel 4 has cancelled Married At First Sight UK after an external review prompted by allegations of serious wrongdoing.

Channel 4 has cancelled Married At First Sight UK, ending the show after more than a decade on air. The decision follows an external review commissioned after allegations of serious wrongdoing surfaced earlier this year.

Two female participants alleged rape and a third claimed sexual misconduct by their on-screen husbands, according to a BBC Panorama documentary broadcast in May. In June, a cast member was arrested on suspicion of rape. All three men have denied the allegations.

Channel 4 chief executive Priya Dogra said: 'Welfare across all our programmes is a primary concern.' She acknowledged the external review 'praised the welfare protocols in place and made no findings that Channel 4 breached the Ofcom Code or that the format is inherently unsafe', but added: 'I have to consider when is the right time for Channel 4 to move on from a format.'

The review by law firm Clyde & Co examined more than 31,000 documents and 20 hours of footage. Ms Dogra said the recommendations were 'eminently sensible and feasible', but their implementation 'provoked fundamental questions about the editorial proposition of a show that, I believe, has now run its course over 10 years'.

Season six of the show, filmed earlier this year, will not be aired. A planned spin-off series featuring contestants from the UK and Australian versions was also halted during the review. Ms Dogra addressed the women who made allegations, saying: 'I am very sorry for the distress those women have clearly felt.' Channel 4 said the review did not attempt to judge the allegations, which remain a matter for the relevant authorities.

Channel 4 cancels Married At First Sight UK after review
Image: This Is Wiltshire

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In this story: Channel 4 · Priya Dogra · BBC · Clyde & Co · Ofcom

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