Rape allegations on the British version of the favored reality television series Married at First Sight have forced a significant U.K. broadcaster to drag every episode of the 10-season-long show and issue a public apology amid an investigation sanctioned by the channel’s executives.
Channel 4, the U.K. platform which airs the show, announced an external welfare review earlier this month after two female participants on the show told the BBC they were raped by the lads they married during filming.
A 3rd woman accused her on-screen husband of a non-consensual sexual act, the British news outlet said.
The U.K. news agency, in a lengthy report published last week, found that the broadcaster was aware of among the allegations before this system — one among Channel 4’s hottest — aired; the production is being accused of not doing enough to guard the individuals in query, despite their reporting of the alleged incidents to welfare staff during production.
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Channel 4 said within the statement announcing the review that “concerns related to contributor welfare were raised through existing welfare and production protocols, prompt and appropriate motion was taken.”
“Channel 4 strongly refutes any claim on the contrary,” it added, saying it had “removed all episodes from streaming and linear services,” in addition to from this system’s social channels, and that it was taking the accusations seriously.
The accusations were first presented in April to Channel 4 “against a small variety of past contributors,” which the broadcaster says those forged members have denied.
“The channel is mindful of the privacy and continuing duty of care towards all contributors, and can’t comment on or disclose details of those allegations,” the statement says.
A view of branding on the ‘Married At First Sight’ photocall at Vue Leicester Square on Sept. 10, 2024, in London, England.
Simon Ackerman/Getty Images
The three women mentioned within the BBC’s report, only one among whom has been publicly identified, told the outlet they didn’t report the alleged incidents to the authorities, though the London Metropolitan Police are urging them to achieve this, it said.
“It’s unlikely that anything will occur,” one among the ladies, who said she reported her on-screen husband to welfare staff after she alleges he assaulted her in her sleep, told the BBC.
One other woman said her on-screen husband shared along with her in private that he and his ex-partner had been violent towards one another, which she told the BBC she divulged to the show’s welfare team.
When her on-screen husband spoke to welfare producers, he said he was the victim of violence, in keeping with the news outlet’s report.
The lady told producers she didn’t feel nervous, but later said sex between her and her on-screen husband became violent, and that he would bruise her and refuse to listen when he asked her to stop. She said he threatened to throw acid on her if she told anyone what he had done, the agency added.
The favored TV show format, which originated within the Netherlands and has countless localized versions, including 19 U.S. seasons, pairs strangers matched by the show’s “experts” who immediately marry and move in together, with the progression of their relationships documented over the course of a season.
Within the U.K. version of the show, the marriages aren’t legally binding.
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