Three women have made allegations against the men they were paired with on Channel 4’s Married at First Sight (MAFS) UK. Two of the women say that they were raped, whilst the other alleges sexual misconduct by her onscreen husband. All three women say that Channel 4 failed to protect them.

The BBC’s Panorama investigates the allegations in a documentary called The Dark Side of Married at First Sight .

The show, which first aired in 2015, follows couples who meet for the first time at their wedding, having been matched by a panel of “experts”. Whilst the marriages are not legally binding, the contributors are expected to go on a honeymoon and live with one another as if they were traditional newlyweds.

One of the women, who remains anonymous, said her onscreen husband attacked her and tried to have sex with her whilst she kept saying ‘no’ and that she did not want to. She said he kept saying, ‘you can’t say no, you’re my wife’ and did it anyway. She said that the sex prior to that was violent and he would bruise her despite her telling him to stop. She also stated he threatened to throw acid on her if she told anybody.

The woman said that she showed the welfare team at CPL her bruises the morning after but did not disclose the alleged attack and rape itself.

Charlotte Proudman, the barrister for the woman, said that the show demonstrated "a lack of curiosity, a lack of the ability to ask important questions and the failure to implement basic safeguarding measures".

A second woman, also anonymous, said that on one occasion her onscreen husband asked her if they should have sex, to which she said no, but he did it anyway. She said that he realised she was not participating and asked her, ‘do you not want this?’, to which she replied that she had already told him she did not. She said he became angry and said to her, ‘you’re making me feel like a rapist’.

Before the series was broadcast, the woman complained to Channel 4 about her experience and how she says it was handled by CPL. She received a response after the show was already on air. Channel 4 told her that they had reviewed the matter and  found that CPL had followed welfare procedures.

The third woman, Shona Mandrson, took part in the 2023 season of MAFS. She said that on one occasion Bradley Skelly, her onscreen husband, ejaculated inside her despite the fact they had agreed on the withdrawal method of contraception. Shona said that a welfare producer accompanied her to get the morning after pill. Shortly after the show, Shona discovered that she was pregnant and does not know if the pregnancy was as a result of the alleged incident.

The three men deny the allegations.

Following the allegations, Channel 4 has taken down all 10 series of the show from its streaming platform. Series 11 has already been filmed and is expected to air later this year.

Channel 4’s executive states they cannot comment on the individual allegations, however, they deny that Channel 4 failed in its duty of care to the contributors. The executive said, “based on what we knew at the time, we acted appropriately, quickly and with sensitivity”. The executive has nevertheless commissioned an external review by a law firm, which remains ongoing.

The UK version of the show is produced by the independent production company, CPL. Lawyers for CPL similarly state that it acted appropriately in all three cases. 

Survivors of sexual assault often do not come forward straight away and it is common for victims to feel shame and guilt about what has happened to them.  If you or someone you know has experienced anything raised, our experienced legal team is here to help.