Ofcom has opened a Fairness and Privacy investigation into Married at First Sight UK after complaints. The regulator is now looking at a show that has been on air for more than a decade, while Channel 4’s own welfare work is still unfinished.
Cristina Nicolotti Squires said Ofcom would examine an advance copy of Channel 4’s review into welfare on the show and urgently consider whether any regulatory action is necessary. An Ofcom spokeswoman put it more plainly: “We are investigating a Fairness and Privacy complaint about Married At First Sight UK.”
Channel 4’s May response
In May, Channel 4 opened two investigations into the programme and removed all MAFS episodes from its streaming service. One of those reviews was overseen by a law firm, while the other was overseen by Lorraine Heggessey.
In late May, Channel 4 CEO Priya Dogra apologised to the women who made what she called “very troubling” rape allegations. That apology sits alongside a fact pattern that already includes one contestant being arrested on suspicion of rape, plus News reporting that two women alleged they were raped by partners they met on the show and a third woman said she experienced a non-consensual sex act.
Fairness and Privacy test
The new Ofcom move matters because the regulator is working from complaints, not from Channel 4’s internal timetable. That means the review now has a live external track under Fairness and Privacy at the same time as the broadcaster is still running its own two welfare reviews.
For Married At First Sight Season 20 coverage, the commercial lesson is blunt: once a reality format lands in a regulatory review, the issue is no longer just editorial damage control but governance. Ofcom’s next step is to judge the welfare material Channel 4 sends over and decide whether action is needed, which keeps pressure on the broadcaster while the internal process remains open.
That leaves the show in an awkward place: still one of Channel 4’s biggest hits, but now carrying a regulatory examination that could outlast the broadcaster’s own response. If Ofcom acts, the consequences will follow the welfare file, not the headlines.
