Channel 4 commissions external review of Married at First Sight UK welfare

Channel 4, the publicly owned British broadcaster, commissioned an external review of contributor welfare on Married at First Sight UK after the BBC contacted it about serious allegations from former participants. The review was set up in the spring of 2026, before the claims were made public.

The review was to examine the welfare and safeguarding protocols in place on the programme when concerns were raised. It was also to look at how Channel 4 and the production company, CPL, handled those concerns. A separate industry expert was asked to consider whether the show's current protocols needed to change.

The allegations were later set out in a BBC Panorama (current affairs series) special broadcast on 18 May. In it, former brides said the programme had failed to protect them during filming, and two women alleged they were raped by their on-screen husbands. Channel 4 said it had acted promptly on concerns raised through its welfare processes. It described the claims as uncorroborated and disputed.

The review became the central point of the story. It shaped Channel 4's decisions about past and future series of the show.