Lisa Nandy told MPs in the House of Commons on Thursday that the government is not satisfied with Channel 4's response to rape and sexual assault allegations linked to Married at First Sight UK. She said she will discuss the matter further with Channel 4 in the coming week.
Her warning follows Panorama's report last month that two female cast members said they were raped, while a third woman said she was the victim of a non-consensual sex act. The men involved denied the allegations, and Channel 4 pulled all episodes of MAFS UK from its streaming service while it commissioned an external review of contributor welfare on the show.
House of Commons and Channel 4
Nandy told MPs she was “not satisfied” and said: “We are not satisfied as a government with the response that we have received, and I will be discussing this further with Channel 4 in the coming week.” She also said she was “horrified and disgusted” while addressing MPs in the House of Commons. The exchange put the broadcaster's handling of the allegations directly before ministers after weeks of scrutiny.
MAFS UK review
Channel 4 previously told Panorama that the allegations were “wholly uncorroborated and disputed.” The broadcaster has said it intends to publish only a summary of findings from its review rather than the full report, leaving the scope of public disclosure narrower than the criticism now facing it. That leaves the next discussion with Nandy as the key step in determining whether the government's pressure stays at the level of concern or turns into a further demand for action.
Ofcom and Metropolitan Police
The issue has already drawn responses from Ofcom, which said broadcasters needed to take due care over the welfare of show participants, and from the Metropolitan Police, which encouraged anyone who believes they have been a victim of sexual assault after participating on the show to contact them. Tui ended its sponsorship of the show and its Australian spin-off, adding to the pressure on Channel 4 while the review remains unresolved.
