Police have urged potential victims of sexual assault who appeared on Married at First Sight UK to contact them, after female participants made allegations of rape and sexual misconduct. The Metropolitan Police said they had not yet received any criminal reports but would approach production teams to ensure victims knew how to report.
A BBC Panorama episode aired on Monday evening documented accusations from contestants about their time on the reality TV show. Two women, who are not named, alleged they were raped by their on-screen husbands, while a third woman, Shona Manderson, accused her on-screen husband of taking things too far during sex. All the men deny the claims.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: 'We are aware of media reporting relating to allegations of rape and sexual assault following the airing of a television programme on Monday. At this time, we have not received any criminal reports in relation to this matter. We will be making approaches to the relevant production teams to ensure that anyone they have spoken to is aware of how to report any criminal allegations to police.'
Former Channel 4 chief executive Alex Mahon described the allegations as 'very serious and concerning' and said launching an investigation was 'the right thing' to do. Channel 4 has removed all seasons of Married at First Sight UK from its streaming platform and commissioned an external review of contributor welfare. The broadcaster said it 'strongly refutes' claims of failures in welfare protocols.
Lawyers for production company CPL told the BBC its welfare system was 'gold standard' and that it had acted appropriately. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said all allegations must be referred to the appropriate authorities and investigated with full cooperation.
