BBC/PAWarning: contains details of alleged sexual offences and misconduct
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has said rape claims involving Channel 4's Married at First Sight (MAFS) UK show are "serious" and there must be consequences for "criminality or wrongdoing".
A BBC Panorama investigation revealed allegations two women had been raped during filming, while a third said she had been the victim of a non-consensual sex act.
Ofcom said broadcasters needed to take "due care" over the welfare of show participants.
Holiday company Tui told BBC News it was stopping sponsorship of the show.
Channel 4 has now removed all episodes of the programme from its streaming and linear services, alongside MAFS UK social channels.
Married at First Sight UK brides tell BBC they were raped by on-screen husbands
In a statement released shortly after BBC News broke the story on Monday, Channel 4 said it had commissioned an external review last month of welfare on the show "after being presented with serious allegations of wrongdoing".
Lawyers for CPL, an independent production company which makes the UK version of the show, said its welfare system was "gold standard" and industry-leading, and that it had acted appropriately in all these cases.
Later on Tuesday, Alex Mahon, who was chief executive of Channel 4 from 2017 to 2025, is due to face questions from MPs in a pre-scheduled meeting of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
The chair of the committee, Caroline Dineage, told BBC News that MAFS UK did "involve an element of risk" as a show.
"It's a TV show that almost expects and anticipates people that have only just met each other will have to become really quite intimate with each other," she said.
"They're expected to share a bed and a life together within minutes of meeting - it almost feels like an accident waiting to happen."
Billed as a "bold social experiment", MAFS sees single people agree to "marry" total strangers, after meeting for the first time at their mock weddings.
A DCMS spokesperson told BBC News: "All allegations must be referred to the appropriate authorities and investigated with the full co-operation of those involved, with action taken to ensure that the highest standards are upheld and there are consequences for criminality or wrongdoing."
An Ofcom spokesperson said: "Under our rules, broadcasters are required to take due care over the welfare of people who might be at risk of significant harm as a result of taking part in a programme."
"We note that Channel 4 has launched an external review into contributor care on MAFS UK and we await its findings," they added. "We will review this and all other evidence made available to us."
That was echoed by former safeguarding minister Jess Phillips, who told BBC News after watching Panorama it felt "so likely" that issues like this might arise on the show.
"The production should have had specialists in domestic abuse and sexual violence on hand to advise," she said.
"Literally any sign of trouble such as this should have been met with immediate plug pulling, not putting it on the victim to make that decision when she feels beholden."
Channel 4's chief executive Priya Dogra expressed sympathy to contributors who had "clearly been distressed after taking part in Married at First Sight".
She said the allegations were disputed by those accused, adding that she believed the broadcaster had "acted quickly, appropriately, sensitively and with wellbeing front and centre" when concerns were raised.
However, when asked by a reporter if she wanted to apologise to the women involved, she declined to comment and walked off.
The three women making the allegations all say Channel 4 did not do enough to protect them.
Channel 4 was aware of some allegations before broadcast, and all the episodes featuring the women had been available on its streaming service before they were removed on Monday.
Channel 4 had previously told Panorama that all the allegations were wholly uncorroborated and disputed.
The "marriages" in the show are not legally binding, but viewers see the couples go on a "honeymoon", before moving in together and navigating their relationships - all while being filmed, almost every day.
The three women we have spoken to are all making allegations about the men they were partnered with and said that they are speaking to the BBC because they felt they should have been better protected.
One said she wanted CPL to stop "allowing harm to come to people".
- One woman said her onscreen husband had raped her and threatened her with an acid attack. She now wants to pursue legal action against CPL
- A second woman told both Channel 4 and CPL, before broadcast, about being allegedly raped by her onscreen husband. Her episodes were still aired
- A third woman, Shona Manderson, accused her onscreen husband, Bradley Skelly, of ejaculating inside her without asking her permission
If you are affected by any of the issues in this story, help and support is available at BBC Action Line.
Lawyers for the first woman's onscreen husband said he denied rape and said that all sexual contact had been entirely consensual. He also denied being violent towards her or making violent threats to her, they said.
Lawyers for the second woman's onscreen husband said he had challenged details of her account. They said the sex had started consensually but that she had communicated through her body language that she was no longer consenting and he had then stopped immediately.
Skelly said he had understood Manderson had consented to him ejaculating inside her that night. In a statement he said he categorically denied "any allegations of sexual misconduct" or that he was "controlling".
Their relationship "was based on mutual consent, care and affection", he said.
MAFS is a highly successful global TV franchise. Many couples say they enter the show with the aim of finding love. Others are seeking social media fame.
The UK version, which has been running for 10 seasons, is broadcast at prime time on Channel 4's sister channel E4. All episodes had been available on the streaming service All4.
Audience figures often top three million, making the show one of the jewels in Channel 4's crown.
The latest season has already been filmed and is expected to air this year.
- If you have more information about this story, you can reach Noor by email at [email protected]
