The Married at First Sight franchise has been left reeling by allegations of rape from a bunch of ex-contestants in a recent BBC Panorama investigation.
On Monday, it got here to light that two women on Channel 4‘s MAFS UK — where singletons are matched, by experts, with a stranger and meet for the primary time at a mock wedding — claimed they’d been raped during filming of the show.
The primary said her husband had raped her and later threatened her with an acid attack, while a second woman told Channel 4 and production company CPL before broadcast about being allegedly raped by her husband. Her episodes, in keeping with the BBC program, were still aired. A 3rd woman, Shona Manderson, the just one to have revealed her identity, accused her onscreen husband of a non-consensual sex act. The boys involved deny the claims, difficult the small print of every woman’s account.
The previous participants who’ve come forward say Channel 4 didn’t do enough to guard them. The BBC reported that Channel 4 was aware of some allegations before broadcast, but had previously told Panorama that each one of the claims were “wholly uncorroborated and disputed.”
Within the wake of the news, Channel 4 has removed all episodes of this system from its streaming and linear services, in addition to the MAFS UK social media accounts. Holiday company Tui told the BBC that it was pausing sponsorship of the show.
MAFS is Love Island-esque in its global popularity, with localized versions in over 35 countries. The U.K. series has been running for 10 seasons now and sometimes boasts viewership of over three million, making it one in every of Britain’s most prized reality shows. The newest season has already been filmed is predicted to air this yr.
When approached for comment by The Hollywood Reporter, a representative for Channel 4 referred to an announcement, made this week, that it commissioned an external review into contributor welfare on the show in April.
“MAFS U.K. is produced under a few of the most comprehensive and robust welfare protocols within the industry,” said the channel. “These include probably the most thorough background checks available, a Code of Conduct which clearly sets out behavioural standards, every day contributor check-ins with a specialist welfare team and access to additional support before, during and after filming. The physical and psychological well-being of all contributors is of paramount importance throughout the method. All duty of care processes are repeatedly reviewed and, where appropriate, strengthened.”
The letter continued that last month, Channel 4 was presented with “serious allegations of wrongdoing against a small variety of past contributors, allegations that we understand those contributors have denied.” They added that when concerns related to contestant welfare were raised through existing welfare and production protocols, “prompt and appropriate motion was taken, based on the data available on the time. Channel 4 strongly refutes any claim on the contrary.”
The external review, conducted by law firm Clyde & Co, is now underway. It has two elements: examining the welfare protocols in place on MAFS UK on the time the claims were raised, and if any changes must be made to further strengthen the present protocols.
“I would like to precise my sympathy to contributors who’ve clearly been distressed after collaborating in Married at First Sight UK,” said Channel 4 chief executive Priya Dogra. “The well-being of our contributors is all the time of paramount importance.
“It might be wholly inappropriate for me to comment on what are very serious allegations made against some MAFS UK contributors,” she continued. “Those allegations — which I understand are disputed by the contributors accused — are usually not something that Channel 4 is able to adjudicate on. We’re also mindful of our ongoing duty of care to all contributors, and the necessity to preserve the anonymity and privacy of all involved.”
Dogra believes that Channel 4 “acted quickly, appropriately, sensitively and with wellbeing front and centre,” when the allegations were first made.
“Nevertheless, because we aspire to the very best standards of contributor welfare, I felt strongly as Channel 4’s recent CEO that it was right that we glance again at how we handled issues raised on the time and ask whether changes must be made to further strengthen contributor welfare… That’s why last month I commissioned an external review of contributor welfare on MAFS UK. That review will report back to me in the approaching months,” she said.