The Metropolitan Police have urged potential victims of sexual assault who appeared on Married at First Sight UK to come forward, following a BBC Panorama documentary that aired allegations of rape and sexual misconduct on the show. Two unnamed women claimed they were raped by their on-screen husbands, while another contestant, Shona Manderson, accused her on-screen husband of taking things too far during sex. All the men deny the allegations.
The police stated they have not yet received any criminal reports related to the programme but will contact production teams to ensure participants are aware of how to report incidents. A spokesperson said: 'We continue to encourage anyone who believes they have been a victim of sexual assault, no matter how long ago it happened, to get in touch with us.'
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'. She told MPs that current duty-of-care protocols for reality TV must be reviewed to ensure 'enough is being done'. Channel 4 has removed all seasons of Married at First Sight UK from its streaming platform and commissioned an external review of contributor welfare.
Channel 4 stated that it was presented with serious allegations in April and that it acted promptly and appropriately when welfare concerns were raised. The broadcaster refuted claims of protocol failures, saying the show operated under 'some of the most comprehensive and robust welfare protocols in the industry'. Lawyers for the production company CPL described its welfare system as 'gold standard'.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said all allegations must be referred to authorities and investigated with full cooperation. Channel 4 chief executive Priya Dogra maintained that the channel acted with 'wellbeing front and centre' when concerns were raised.
