Married at First Sight UK brides tell they were raped by on-screen husbands

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Married at First Sight UK brides tell they were raped by on-screen husbands16 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleBBCNoor NanjiBBC PanoramaWarning: contains details of alleged sexual offences and misconductTwo women have told the they were raped during the filming of one of Channel 4's biggest shows, Married at First Sight UK, while a third has described an allegation of a non-consensual sex act. The show did not do enough to protect them, they all said. Channel 4 was aware of some allegations before broadcast, and all the episodes featuring the women continue to be available on its streaming service.

Reacting to our findings, the chairwoman of a new creative industry watchdog described Married at First Sight UK's format as "televised abuse". She is now calling for an independent investigation and says the "dangerous" show should be taken off air. Channel 4 said all the allegations are "wholly uncorroborated and disputed".

The Details

When approached by the on Monday, Channel 4's outgoing chief content officer, Ian Katz, said he had not seen the Panorama documentary, adding: "They are obviously very serious allegations. We want to see the show and when we see the show we will respond. "Lawyers for CPL, an independent production company which makes the UK version of the show, said its welfare system is "gold standard" and industry-leading, and that it acted appropriately in all these cases.

Billed as a "bold social experiment", Married at First Sight UK - known to many as "MAFS" - sees single people agree to "marry" total strangers, after meeting for the first time at their mock weddings. The marriages are not legally binding, but viewers see the couples go on "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 because they feel they should have been better protected.

One said she wants CPL to stop "allowing harm to come to people". One woman said her onscreen husband raped her and threatened her with an acid attack. She now wants to pursue legal action against CPLA second woman told both Channel 4 and CPL, before broadcast, about being allegedly raped by her onscreen husband.

What Experts Say

Her episodes were still airedA third woman accused her onscreen husband of sexual misconduct. Married at First Sight 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, with all episodes 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.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.