Married At First Sight UK will not return to Channel 4 following sexual misconduct allegations

Married At First Sight UK will not return to Channel 4 following an external review launched in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations, the broadcaster has announced.

The media regulator opened an investigation into the dating show in July following a "fairness and privacy" complaint.

At the time, Ofcom said it was investigating an unspecified complaint against the reality TV show.

The reality series, in which single people are matched and 'married' to complete strangers, was investigated by the BBC's Panorama earlier this year.

Its report, broadcast in May, included allegations by two women that they had been raped during production of the show. Another woman alleged a non-consensual sexual act.

All three said the Channel 4 show, made by production company CPL, did not do enough to protect them.

All three men deny the claims.

Channel 4 chief executive Priya Dogra confirmed season six of the show, which was filmed earlier this year, will not be broadcast.

The review was commissioned by Ms Dogra earlier this year following the allegations made on Panorama.

The review had two elements:

• Law firm Clyde & Co examined the welfare protocols in place at the time the claims were initially raised, and how Channel 4 and production company CPL handled them.
• Former BBC One controller Lorraine Heggessey examined if any changes should be made to current protocols for Married at First Sight UK to further strengthen contributor welfare.

Channel 4 said neither element of the review "sought to adjudicate" on the serious allegations of wrongdoing highlighted by Panorama, which it said "remain a matter for the relevant authorities".

Outcome of the review

The Clyde & Co review, which reviewed 31,172 documents and 20 hours of broadcast and unbroadcast footage, found that Channel 4 and production company CPL's welfare protocols were compliant with the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.

It also found there was no breach of the code in regard to the handling of issues raised.

However, the review noted there were isolated incidents where the welfare framework was not fully implemented.

It cited an instance when some contributors contravened the code of conduct relating to "prohibited substances" but were given a first and final warning rather than being removed from the programme.

Meanwhile, Ms Heggessey's report cited that some elements of the show could "implicitly put pressure on contributors to be intimate" and contributors could "become dependent on production and lose touch with reality", which could affect their "decision-making".

It also recommended that the "frequency" with which couples were asked about the physical side of their relationship should be reviewed and that certain events, such as Intimacy Week and Partner Swap Week, should be discontinued.

The review also said other changes to consider included changing the leave/ stay mechanism so that if one person in a couple chose to leave the show, they could do so, rather than be forced to continue.

On the show, couples can choose whether to "stay or leave" during weekly Commitment Ceremonies, however, if one chooses to leave but another asks to stay, both must remain for another week.

Despite that, her review found that welfare protocols for the show were "extensive, extremely thorough and of a high standard".

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The review said that with enhancements to the existing contributor welfare framework and adjustments to the format, it would be reasonable to continue to produce future seasons of the show.

The broadcaster said that "taken together with the maturity of the programme", Ms Dogra determined the "right course was to bring Married At First Sight UK on Channel 4 to an end".

She said: "Welfare across all our programmes is a primary concern."

"Whilst the review praised the welfare protocols in place and made no findings that Channel 4 breached the Ofcom Code or that the format is inherently unsafe, I have to consider when is the right time for Channel 4 to move on from a format."

Channel 4 said the show's budget would be "reinvested in distinctive new programming".

A statement from CPL said: "CPL understands Channel 4's decision to bring Married At First Sight to an end on the channel."

"The independent reviews gave CPL the opportunity to discuss in depth the welfare processes already in place and that the Heggessey review found that 'the welfare protocols for Married At First Sight UK were extensive, extremely thorough and of a high standard from which other productions in the industry have learnt'.

"CPL has always put contributor welfare at the heart of its programme making and will continue to do so."

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