Two women have claimed they were raped while filming Married at First Sight UK, according to a BBC investigation, prompting British broadcaster Channel 4 to remove all previous seasons of the reality show while it considers the allegations.
The show, known as MAFS, advertises itself as a “daring social experiment” in which single people “marry” strangers they meet for the first time on their wedding day, but the marriages are not legally binding. The couple goes on a “honeymoon”, lives together, and progresses in their relationship while being photographed almost every day.
A third woman claims she was subjected to non-consensual sex while filming the show. Three former participants told BBC Panorama, which broadcast the investigation into the allegations on Monday, that the program did not do enough to protect them.
The BBC claimed that Channel 4 was aware of some of the allegations before the MAFS series in question was broadcast, and that episodes featuring the women were available on the streaming service until recently.
Channel 4 has announced that it has removed all episodes of the show from its streaming and linear services, as well as MAFS social channels, and has commissioned an external review.
“In April, Channel 4 received allegations of serious misconduct against a small number of past posters, which we understand these posters deny,” it said.
“The channel is mindful of privacy and our ongoing duty of care to all contributors, and cannot comment on or disclose details about these allegations.”
The broadcaster said “prompt and appropriate action” was taken when concerns about the welfare of participants on the show were raised through existing protocols. “Channel 4 strongly refutes any claims to the contrary,” it added.
Channel 4 chief executive Priya Dogra expressed sympathy for the participants who were “obviously heartbroken” after appearing on the show. “The health of our contributors is always of the utmost importance.”
The show is part of a highly successful international series spanning multiple countries including the United States and Australia.
A lawyer for CPL, the independent production company that produces the UK version, told the BBC that the company’s benefit system is industry-leading and of the “best standards” and that it had acted appropriately in all of these cases.
In response to the BBC’s investigation, the UK government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport said the allegations were “serious” and that “everyone who works or takes part in television must be treated with dignity and respect at all times.” He warned that there were always “consequences for any crime or wrongdoing.”
One participant, who the BBC did not name, said her husband raped her on the show and threatened her with an acid attack.
She claimed on the show that she noticed “red flags” about her partner almost immediately and that the sex soon became violent. He bruised her during sex, she said, even though she “kept telling him not to.”
“We were sitting on the couch in my apartment and he tried to have sex with me and I kept saying no, I didn’t want to do it,” she said. “But he kept saying, ‘I can’t say no, you’re my wife,’ and he just did it anyway.”
Lawyers for the woman’s husband told the BBC that he denies rape and that all sexual contact was completely consensual. She also said he denies assaulting or threatening violence against her.
CPL’s lawyers said the bruises were explained to the welfare team at the time as the result of rough but consensual sex. The woman did not tell the company that her partner had told her that she could not say no, and reported the acid-throwing comment as a passing remark rather than a threat. Lawyers said CPL took immediate action after the woman complained that she feared for her safety.
The second woman said she began having consensual sex with her on-screen husband, but at one point they had sex after he told her “no.”
She told the BBC that she reported the rape allegations to both Channel 4 and CPL, but her episode was aired anyway. The husband’s lawyer on screen said he disputed the details of her account. They say the sex began consensually, but then she told him through body language that she was no longer consenting, at which point he quickly stopped.
CPL’s lawyers said the woman told the company that all sexual activity was completely consensual.
Shona Manderson, the third woman to appear on camera on BBC’s Panorama, has claimed that her husband, Bradley Skelly, engaged in non-consensual sex by ejaculating inside her without her permission, despite previously agreeing to leave the show as a method of contraception. She told the BBC that she subsequently became pregnant and had an abortion. Manderson said she did not know if the pregnancy was the result of the alleged incident.
CPL and Channel 4 removed Ms Manderson from the show in 2023, shortly after the incident, over concerns that the relationship between her and her on-screen husband may be unhealthy.
In a statement reported by the BBC, Mr Skelly denied the “allegations of sexual misconduct” and said it was his understanding that Shona had consented to him ejaculating inside her that night. Their relationship was “based on mutual consent, consideration and love,” he said, rejecting any suggestion that he was “in control.”
In response to the BBC report, Channel 4 chief executive Dogra said: “We take these issues very seriously and are committed to continuing to lead the industry in our duty of care to our contributors.”
“Based on what we knew at the time, we acted appropriately, quickly and prudently,” she said in a videotaped statement.
