The broadcaster said the series will not return after 10 seasons, following claims by three women, two of whom allege they were raped. The men accused deny the allegations.
Channel 4 has cancelled Married at First Sight UK after 10 series, following allegations by three women who took part in the show. Two of the women allege they were raped by their husbands during production, while a third has accused her husband of sexual misconduct. The broadcaster announced the decision on Thursday after an external review. The men accused have denied the allegations, and one was arrested in June on suspicion of rape, according to the BBC.
Channel 4’s statement
Priya Dogra, the broadcaster’s chief executive, apologised to the women in a statement. “I am very sorry for the distress those women have clearly felt,” she wrote. “I hope our actions — in swiftly commissioning the review and taking clear, decisive steps — demonstrate our commitment to the wellbeing of all contributors and our desire to relentlessly strengthen industry standards.”
Ms Dogra said the external review had not been intended to establish whether the allegations against the men were true. “It did not have the authority to adjudicate on the very serious allegations made by three women,” she said.
She added that the review made “no findings” that the format of the programme was “inherently unsafe”, but that she believed the series had “now run its course over 10 years”. “Channel 4 has always thrived on reinvention,” she said. “And this is a moment to kickstart a new era of creative renewal.”
The allegations
The BBC was the first to report the allegations after the women came forward in May. They told the corporation that the broadcaster did not have sufficient protection measures in place. One of the women also alleged that her husband threatened to throw acid at her.
The men accused have denied the allegations against them.
About the programme
Married at First Sight UK first aired in July 2015. The series followed singles who agreed to marry strangers they had been matched with by relationship experts, without having met them beforehand. The marriages on the UK show are not legally binding, and the couples go on honeymoon together while cameras record their day-to-day lives.
The show was launched a year after the US version of the format, which first aired on FYI in 2014 before moving to Lifetime in 2017 and Peacock in 2025.
