Married at First Sight UK brides make serious sexual assault allegations in BBC Panorama investigation

A BBC Panorama investigation into Married at First Sight UK will air this evening at 8pm, examining serious allegations made by former contestants.

The documentary, titled The Dark Side of Married at First Sight, features testimony from three women who have accused their former on-screen husbands of sexual misconduct.

Two of the women allege they were sexually assaulted during their time on the popular reality programme, according to the BBC.

The investigation, led by BBC culture correspondent Noor Nanji, raises questions over whether the show’s welfare procedures provided sufficient protection for contributors.

The identities of those involved have not been disclosed.

The BBC said all three men at the centre of the allegations deny wrongdoing.

Both Channel 4 and CPL Productions, the production company behind the series, defended their safeguarding procedures and described their welfare protocols as "robust and comprehensive."

Channel 4 told The Mirror: "We have not seen the programme and will comment when we know more."

According to the programme synopsis, Panorama has examined claims that welfare procedures on the reality series may have failed participants and potentially left them vulnerable to harm.

Married At First Sight UK remains one of Channel 4’s most successful programmes, regularly attracting audiences of more than one million viewers.

The reality format sees complete strangers meet for the first time at the altar before taking part in a non-legally binding wedding ceremony.

The couples then embark on honeymoons before moving into shared accommodation, where their relationships are scrutinised by fellow contestants and a panel of relationship experts.

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Originally launched in Denmark in 2013, the format has become a global television success, spawning 35 international versions worldwide.

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