U.K. ‘Married at First Sight’ contestants allege rape

Married At First Sight U.K. Season 9 poster. (Amazon Prime Video)

Warning: Graphic content.

LONDON, U.K. - Britain’s Channel 4 television said Monday all episodes of its “Married at First Sight UK” reality show had been taken down and an external review ordered after rape and non-consensual sex allegations by three women.

The BBC was to air Monday evening a “Panorama” investigation about the show where contestants agree to mock weddings with a total stranger and are then filmed living together.

Two women alleged they were raped by their onscreen husbands and one alleged she experienced a non-consensual sex act, the BBC reported.

Married at First Sight is a global TV franchise that originated in Denmark. The U.K. version, on air for 10 seasons, is billed as a “bold social experiment”.

Channel 4 said in a statement it had commissioned an external review into the welfare of contestants after being presented with “serious allegations of wrongdoing” in April.

The BBC said only one claimant was willing to be identified on air: Shona Manderson, who appeared on the show in 2023.

Manderson and her onscreen partner were removed from the show by the producers over concerns about their relationship, Channel 4 said at the time.

Women’s Aid domestic abuse charity called the man’s behaviour “controlling.”

The BBC reported that one other woman, whose real name is withheld on her request, wants to pursue legal action against the show’s independent production company.

Channel 4 said the review it commissioned was being carried out by a law firm and a media executive.

It said it had removed all seasons of the show from its streaming services while the review was ongoing.

Chief executive Priya Dogra said the “very serious” allegations were “disputed by the contributors (contestants) accused.”

The channel said it could not comment on the details but insisted that whenever welfare concerns were raised “prompt and appropriate action was taken.”

It said the show had “some of the most comprehensive and robust welfare protocols in the industry.”

The show’s London-based production company, CPL, also makes Netflix’s “Love is Blind U.K.” Its lawyers told the BBC its welfare system was “gold standard” and it acted appropriately in all cases.