Married at First Sight UK pulls episodes after brides accuse co-stars of sexual harassment
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WARNING: This article contains details of sexual abuse and suicide. It may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone who has.
Three female contestants from a reality match show Married to First Sight UK they came up with allegations that they were abused by their on-screen colleagues.
According to an investigation carried out by the BBC's current affairs programme Panoramatwo of the women said they were raped by their on-screen husbands, while the third said her on-screen husband performed a sexual act against her.
The program says the men involved denied the allegations and the accusers did not contact the police. London Metropolitan Police said they had not received any reports of the crime but urged potential victims to get in touch.
Channel 4, which broadcasts Married to First Sight UKcalled the allegations “very serious” and removed all episodes of the show from its platforms. The British government said on Tuesday there must be “consequences for the crime or wrongdoing.”
The show is part of an international reality TV franchise with shows in countries including the US and Australia. It follows strangers paired by relationship experts who meet for the first time at the altar, participate in a mock wedding ceremony, and live together as newlyweds.
The UK version of the show, which is considered to be a huge ratings hit, has run for 10 seasons and is set to film its 11th this year.
The nature of the show clearly involves “something at stake,” British Conservative MP Caroline Dinenage, who chairs the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, told the BBC.
Dinenage said the show — which “almost expects and anticipates that people who have just met will bond immediately” and “share a bed and live together within minutes of meeting” — felt like “an accident waiting to happen.”
Moral concerns, social pressures on competitors
It's not the first time critics have raised ethical concerns about the pressures British reality TV puts on its participants.
The latest allegations come after several previous tragedies, including two suicides Love Island contestants in 2018 and 2019, and the 2020 death of the show's former host, Caroline Flack.
Education and gender equality advocate Farrah Khan says the show is a troubling part of reality TV that creates conditions that allow sexual misconduct and fails to adequately protect participants.
Situations can include “strangers in isolation, places full of alcohol.” [and] participants who can't sleep under a lot of pressure to do this kind of intimacy on camera,” said Khan.
Love Island USA Season 7 drew huge audiences, but beyond the villa, the contestants and their families faced a wave of hate online, prompting a warning from the production to stop cyberbullying.
He said that contestants are often afraid to speak up for themselves because they fear they will be labeled as “corruption” or “problem” in the broadcast version of the program – or even cut off completely.
Khan says the issue goes beyond any one individual and points to problems in the industry. He called on TV networks to implement safeguards such as reducing alcohol content on programming.
Broadcaster defends rules as 'broad and strong'
Channel 4 said it had ordered a review of its social standards and practices, but doubled down on the show's existing policies, calling them “one of the most comprehensive and robust social policies in the industry.”
They added, those regulations include background checks, a code of conduct that defines ethical standards and “daily donor access with a professional social team.”
However, the broadcaster's CEO Priya Dogra expressed her sympathy to the sponsors who were clearly distressed after participating. Married to First Sight UK.”
“The well-being of our assistants is always of the utmost importance.”
If you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911. For support in your area, you can check crisis lines and local services by using Completes the database of the Canadian Sexual Violence Association. .
