Channel 4 axes Married At First Sight UK and confirms show will not return

Channel 4 has confirmed that no future seasons of Married at First Sight UK will air, while also axing a planned crossover series with Married at First Sight Australia.

Earlier this year, a BBC Panorama episode was released with serious allegations made about different series of Married at First Sight UK (MAFS UK).

Channel 4 then commissioned an external review of contributor welfare on the show, with the results now published today (5 November).

And as a result, Chief Executive Priya Dogra has confirmed that MAFS UK will not return to Channel 4. Instead, the show’s budget will be ‘reinvested in distinctive new programming’.

Plus, Dogra said that series six, which was in production when this review was commissioned and would’ve been Mel Schilling’s posthumous final series, won’t be broadcast.

Second Marriage at First Sight, a previously announced E4 show that would bring back former contestants from MAFS UK and MAFS Australia, has also been shelved after entering pre-production.

It’s worth noting that the review did not seek ‘to adjudicate on the serious allegations of wrongdoing highlighted by Panorama’. Channel 4 says: “Those allegations remain a matter for the relevant authorities.”

A BBC Panorama special raised serious allegations earlier this year. (BBC)

This review had two elements with the first being law firm Clyde & Co examining the welfare protocols in place at the time the claims were raised, and the handling by Channel 4 and CPL of those claims. It sought to confirm if they fulfilled Channel 4’s duty of care obligations under the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.

The second element of the review was led by former BBC One controller Lorraine Heggessey, examining if any changes should be made to current protocols for MAFS UK to further strengthen contributor welfare.

The review findings

Clyde & Co’s team reviewed 31,172 documents and 20 hours of broadcast and unbroadcast footage. They also interviewed relevant individuals from Channel 4, the independent production company CPL Productions (CPL) and contributors.

Findings included:

· The contributor welfare framework on MAFS UK (including the welfare protocols) in place at relevant times was compliant with the Code. Further, with respect to the handling of issues raised at the relevant times, there were no findings of a breach of the Code.

· There were areas where the contributor welfare framework was compliant, but it could be further strengthened and recommendations were made in this regard.

· A small number of instances were identified in which the show’s established protocols hadn’t been fully applied. This included 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.

· CPL and Channel 4 could’ve undertaken a more ‘structured longer-term review over multiple series’. This included the need to better understand the welfare of contributors cumulatively, over the course of the series, as well as responding to specific incidents when they occurred.

All episodes were previously taken off streaming. (Channel 4/CPL)

Heggessey reviewed extensive documentation and conducted interviews with those involved in the show’s production, welfare processes, commissioning and compliance in line with the terms of reference.

Her review found that the welfare protocols for MAFS UK were ‘extensive, extremely thorough and of a high standard’.

The Heggessey review concluded that, ‘with enhancements to the existing contributor welfare framework and adjustments to the format’, it would be ‘reasonable’ to carry on producing further series of the show.

Again, it’s important to note that the review didn’t seek to adjudicate on the ‘serious allegations of wrongdoing’ that were highlighted in the Panorama documentary.

“Those allegations remain a matter for the relevant authorities.”

The show will not return. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Chief Executive Priya Dogra’s statement

“I want to thank Lorraine Heggessey and Clyde & Co for their thorough and incisive work over the last few months. Welfare across all our programmes is a primary concern, so we welcome the review, its findings and recommendations,” Dogra said.

“MAFS UK has been enjoyed by millions of viewers, made possible by the willingness of its contributors to embrace the social experiment at the heart of the show and the many talented people involved in its production. I am grateful to everyone at Channel 4 and CPL Productions who has worked on the show and want to thank them for their significant efforts to protect the welfare of contributors, something which was recognised in both reviews.

“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. The recommendations are eminently sensible and feasible, but considering their wholesale implementation provoked fundamental questions about the editorial proposition of a show that, I believe, has now run its course over ten years.

“Channel 4 has always thrived on reinvention and this is a moment to kickstart a new era of creative renewal, using the considerable budget to find the next generation of distinctive and disruptive British television.

“This review did not have the authority to adjudicate on the very serious allegations made by three women in the Panorama programme, but I would like to repeat that I am very sorry for the distress those women have clearly felt. I hope our actions – in swiftly commissioning the review and taking clear, decisive steps - demonstrate our commitment to the wellbeing of all contributors and our desire to relentlessly strengthen industry standards.”