Reality TV show ‘Married at First Sight UK’ has been axed in outrage after former cast members were accused of raping the women they were paired with.
Channel 4 confirmed on Thursday that the dating series would not return after 10 seasons, following the investigation into three contestants’ allegations that they were assaulted – with one claiming her husband had threatened to throw acid on her.
The channel’s CEO, Priya Dogra, apologized to the women for “the distress they clearly felt,” according to a press release.
The show – in which singles are matched with strangers and meet for the first time at the altar – was criticized after two women claimed they were raped by their on-screen husbands, the BBC reported.
One of the women also claimed that her partner had threatened her with an acid attack.
A third woman, Shona Manderson – the only woman publicly identified – accused her on-screen husband of a non-consensual sexual act, according to the BBC.
The defendants have denied the allegations. At least one male actor has been arrested on suspicion of rape.
In a statement released Thursday, Dogra said the decision to drop the series followed an independent review of the show’s social procedures and the channel’s handling of complaints.
Dogra said implementing the review’s recommendations raised “fundamental questions about the editorial proposition of a show that I believe has now run its course over 10 years.”
She also stressed that the review was not intended to determine whether the allegations were true.
“She had no authority to comment on the very serious allegations made by three women,” she said, referring to the BBC investigation that highlighted the allegations.
Ofcom, the British audiovisual regulator, has also opened an investigation.
In June, a male actor was arrested on suspicion of rape. He has not been publicly identified.
“Married at First Sight UK” follows singles who agree to marry strangers vetted by relationship experts.
Marriages are not legally binding, but couples go on honeymoons and move in together while cameras follow their relationships.
Gn entert
