TUI has severed its sponsorship deal with Married at First Sight after the Channel 4 show was embroiled in scandal over rape and sexual abuse allegations. The travel firm initially paused its sponsorship on Monday following claims from two contestants that they were raped by their on-screen grooms, and a third alleged a non-consensual sex act.
Confirming it has now cut all ties with the show, TUI stated: 'Following the broadcast of the Panorama programme and discussion with Channel 4, we have taken the decision to end our sponsorship of Married at First Sight.'
TV critic Scott Bryan said the development highlights how the global brand of MAFS has been damaged, even though non-UK versions are unrelated to the recent allegations. Bryan told the BBC it was 'a big deal' for TUI to withdraw sponsorship from both the Australian edition, known as MAFS Oz, and the UK version, as the show is 'hugely popular and lucrative for Channel 4, especially with younger viewers'.
Ofcom May Tighten Guidelines
Ofcom's chief executive, Dame Melanie Dawes, said on Thursday that the media regulator would tighten its guidance around reality shows if necessary. Speaking on Good Morning Britain, she remarked: 'What we always try to avoid is being really specific about, "You can do this and you can't do that," because fundamentally the responsibility is with Channel 4 and its production company, or with ITV or BBC or whoever is producing these shows, to get this right.'
'If they have not got it right, this is going to be a serious issue. It's very live, but it does raise really serious concerns. If we need to tighten our guidance then we absolutely will.' She added: 'Sometimes we do have these wake-up calls where, as a country, we just go, "This has gone too far."'
Channel 4 Apologises
Lawyers for CPL, the production company behind the UK version, said after the claims emerged that its welfare system was 'gold standard' and that it acted appropriately in all cases. Channel 4 boss Priya Dogra initially declined to apologise after the broadcast of Panorama on Monday but expressed 'sympathy' for those who spoke up. However, at a press briefing on Wednesday, she went further, saying she was 'deeply sorry' and admitted she found the women's accounts 'very troubling'.
Among the alleged victims is Shona Manderson, who says she had an abortion after her on-screen husband, Brad Skelly, took things 'too far' during sex and 'a boundary was crossed' when he ejaculated inside her without permission. Skelly has said he understood she was consenting and denies any sexual misconduct. Waiving her anonymity, Manderson described how she 'completely lost her light' during filming. Experts raised concerns about Skelly's alleged 'controlling' manner, leading to their removal from the show.
Laura Vaughan, a bride on the 2023 series, said she also raised complaints about Skelly's 'uncomfortable' and 'challenging' conduct with the show's welfare team. In a social media video, Vaughan said the documentary raised questions about safeguarding processes for reality television.
Two other female contestants reported being raped by their on-screen husbands, with one informing both Channel 4 and the production company, only for the episodes to be aired anyway. The other described bruises from the alleged assault and said her partner threatened to have acid thrown at her. All the men are understood to deny the allegations.
The women say the show, produced by independent firm CPL, did not do enough to protect them and that welfare protocols were insufficient. Shortly before the Panorama episode aired, Channel 4 announced it had commissioned an external review into contributor welfare. It subsequently removed all ten series of MAFS UK from its online streaming platform and said it has not decided whether to air Series 11, which has already been filmed and was due for release in the autumn.
