Married at First Sight UK Is Over: Channel 4 Axes the Show and Its Already-Filmed New Series

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Channel 4 confirmed the decision on Thursday, Nov. 5, when it published a summary of two outside reviews of contributor welfare on the show (summary of findings). Chief executive Priya Dogra said Married at First Sight UK will not return, and its budget will go to new commissions from UK independent producers.

That covers more than future seasons. Channel 4 said the series that was in production when the review began won’t be broadcast, because it wasn’t made under the stronger protocols the reviewers recommended. Second Married at First Sight, a spinoff that was in pre-production before being paused, is also finished.

The review dates back to April, when BBC Panorama put serious allegations to Channel 4 ahead of its May 18 broadcast. In that program, as reported by the BBC, two women alleged they were raped by the men they were matched with on the show, and a third alleged a non-consensual sex act. One of the women said she had told Channel 4 and producer CPL Productions before her episodes aired. All three men have denied the allegations. After the broadcast, Channel 4 pulled every past episode from its streaming service, and a major sponsor pulled out.

In June, a Married at First Sight UK cast member, a man in his 30s, was arrested by London’s Metropolitan Police on suspicion of rape and released on bail while the investigation continues, the BBC reported on July 2. Neither he nor the person who made the allegation has been named; anyone who reports a sexual offense in the UK has a legal right to lifelong anonymity. No charge has been reported. Ofcom opened its own investigation in July, according to Deadline.

Here’s the part the network is stressing. Law firm Clyde & Co concluded that Channel 4 and CPL complied with the Ofcom code, though it flagged “isolated incidents” where welfare rules weren’t fully followed, including a case where contestants who broke rules on prohibited substances were warned instead of removed. A second review, by former BBC One controller Lorraine Heggessey, said the show could reasonably keep going with changes. Neither review ruled on the allegations themselves.

Dogra decided to end it anyway. “The recommendations are eminently sensible and feasible,” she said, but putting all of them in place raised “fundamental questions” about a show that “has now run its course over ten years.” She added: “I would like to repeat that I am very sorry for the distress those women have clearly felt.” CPL said it “understands Channel 4’s decision,” per Deadline.

It may not be the last word. Channel 4 executives are due before Parliament’s culture committee on Nov. 17, according to the BBC. The Australian, U.S. and New Zealand versions are still on Channel 4’s streaming service, but the network says it won’t air future international editions.