Channel 4 has said it is "always looking for big shows" when asked about the future of its hit series Married At First Sight UK, which is currently off air and facing two reviews.
MAFS UK is the subject of two reviews after Panorama revealed rape allegations from two female members on the show. All previous series have been taken offline, and a series planned to air next month has been axed and is not in the schedules. The Mirror understands there are no plans for it to air in 2026 at present.
Reviews and Response
Shortly before the Panorama episode aired, Channel 4 announced it had commissioned an external review into contributor welfare last month. Broadcast regulator Ofcom is also investigating complaints.
Appearing at the Edinburgh TV Festival, Channel 4 Director of Content Strategy Kiran Nataraja was asked directly about MAFS UK and replied that with two reviews ongoing she "can't really comment on the future of MAFS".
In a follow-up question, she was asked if the series doesn't return, how serious is the hole in their schedule with it being one of its most popular shows amongst young viewers. Kiran replied: "We're always looking for big shows. It's really important to have a range of shows across the channel slate. So we're looking for shows, particularly for young audiences. It is really important for us to have shows that stream well. It's also really important for us to have shows that deliver linear volume. So yeah, we're continuously looking for big ones."
Industry Concerns
Additionally at the festival, in another session called 'Reality TV's Duty Of Care Reckoning', TV star and reality TV veteran Vicky Pattison spoke from the heart about the problems in the industry. She has not appeared on MAFS but other similar shows including Geordie Shore, Ex On The Beach and I'm A Celebrity and is friends with numerous reality TV stars.
Vicky said: "I have been doing it for the last 15 years, it has changed in a huge way for better, but there is a long way to go and the journey is slow and not always linear."
She said the contributors of reality TV like MAFS UK needed to feel more valued and giving one example of her own time on a show, she said: "I was unsettled I needed a break, I was going to unravel. I was told 'you can absolutely have a break, we will just replace you'. The duty of care needs to be there from start to finish."
She went on to say that she now found a lot of reality TV difficult to watch as when contestants got emotional or struggled she knows how tough things would be for them on and off screen. Breaking down into tears and looking to the future, Vicky added: "If my children wanted to be in reality TV, that would terrify me."
Production and Welfare
Lawyers for CPL, the independent production company that makes the UK version of MAFS, have previously said its welfare system is "gold standard" and industry-leading.
In a previous statement 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 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".
The UK version, which has been running for 10 seasons, is one of Channel 4's biggest shows, with audience figures often topping three million.
