Former and current staff members of Married at First Sight UK have described the show's culture as 'toxic from the top down', with an 'unhealthy' emphasis on whether cast members were having sex, according to reports from the BBC. The allegations follow previous claims from two female cast members that they were raped by their on-screen partners, which they deny.
A third woman also reported being the victim of a nonconsensual sexual act by her on-screen partner. All three men have denied the allegations. Production company CPL, which makes the show, said it had gold-standard welfare policies in place.
Channel 4 has launched two investigations into the show, one focusing on its handling of complaints and another examining whether welfare protocols should be changed. The allegations have sparked debate within the TV industry about whether the format, which expects intimacy, can guarantee participant safety.
Soraya Spiers, a former worker, told the BBC the focus on sex was 'unhealthy', noting that on the wedding night there was an expectation for staff to gauge if couples would sleep together. Another anonymous former staff member said senior producers expressed concerns if a couple were not having sex, as it was 'not good for storylines'. Others claimed cast members were given excessive alcohol.
CPL responded that these accounts do not reflect the positive experiences of most production team members, stating that contributors are not pressured to be intimate and that alternative sleeping arrangements are always available. They also said alcohol intake is limited and overseen by welfare teams. Channel 4 reiterated that contributor welfare is its primary concern and that it commissioned an external review in April.
