Channel 4 cancels Married at First Sight UK
The broadcaster has also removed past UK, American, Australian and New Zealand editions from its streaming platform and canceled the planned spin-off Second Married at First Sight.
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The broadcaster has also removed past UK, American, Australian and New Zealand editions from its streaming platform and canceled the planned spin-off Second Married at First Sight.
Channel 4 canceled Married at First Sight UK on 5 November after allegations of sexual assault and said it would not broadcast the already-filmed sixth season. The broadcaster said the season had not been made under the recommended stronger welfare measures.
The show pairs strangers selected by experts, who first meet on their wedding day and immediately move in together. Earlier in 2026, the BBC’s Panorama alleged 3 instances of sexual assault during the UK series. One man was subsequently arrested on suspicion of rape; all the accused men have denied the allegations.
The spin-off Second Married at First Sight, which had been in preparation, will not resume production. Channel 4 has also removed all past UK seasons and the US, Australian and New Zealand versions from its streaming platform, Deadline said on 11 November.
After the BBC investigation, Channel 4 commissioned two reviews. Law firm Clyde & Co examined whether existing welfare measures met the broadcaster’s duty-of-care obligations under media regulator Ofcom’s rules. Former BBC One controller Lorraine Heggessey examined changes to strengthen participant welfare. Channel 4 chief executive Priya Dogra said neither review was tasked with investigating the allegations in Panorama.
Clyde & Co found isolated incidents in which the welfare framework was not fully implemented. It also found that Channel 4 and UK producer CPL could have conducted a more structured long-term review across several series. The review identified areas that could have been strengthened. Channel 4 said the firm found the protocols complied with Ofcom’s broadcasting code, based on the available evidence and the balance of probabilities, with no finding that the code had been breached.
Heggessey concluded that continuing the show would be reasonable with stronger welfare measures and changes to the format. Her proposals included round-the-clock recording and separate bedrooms on participants' wedding night. Dogra said the recommendations were sensible and feasible, but implementing all of them would require intervention and supervision that would fundamentally change the show. She said the review praised the existing welfare protocols and found neither a code breach nor that the format was inherently unsafe.
Ofcom has launched a separate investigation into fairness and privacy on the show. Channel 4 says it will reinvest the show’s budget in other programming.
Producer Endemol Shine Australia said production of Married at First Sight Australia continues. It and Australian broadcaster Channel Nine told Deadline they were examining the Channel 4 review findings and that many recommended improvements were already in place. The Australian and UK editions are separate productions, made by Endemol Shine Australia and CPL respectively.
Deadline said existing Australian safeguards include allowing participants to contact friends and family, regularly changing the show’s psychologists, and keeping casting and welfare teams separate.
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Update ·
Revised from the day's reports.
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The Australian edition remains in production while its producer and broadcaster examine the UK review’s findings.
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Channel 4 has also removed the American, Australian and New Zealand editions from its streaming platform, alongside past UK seasons.
Update ·
Revised from the day's reports.
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Added the reason the filmed season will not air and further findings and limits of the two reviews.