A British broadcaster faces a potential police probe amid concerning allegations from Married at First Sight UK contestants of sexual assault by their on-screen partners.

Channel 4, which airs the show in Britain, said the allegations were “very serious”, and the Starmer government said this week there must be “consequences for criminality or wrongdoing”.

“I think it’s highly likely that there will be a referral to the police and it will be a police matter for them to investigate. These are shocking and deeply concerning allegations, and of course they must be very thoroughly investigated,” British Security Minister Dan Jarvis told BBC Breakfast.

Married at First Sight is an international reality TV franchise inspired by a Danish original. It is wildly popular for the Nine Network in Australia, and also airs in countries such as the US and South Africa.

Strangers are matched by experts and move in together after mock wedding ceremonies.

This week, in an episode titled “The Dark Side of Married At First Sight”, British current affairs program Panorama aired allegations from two former contestants. They alleged they were raped by their on-screen husbands, while a third woman said she had been subjected to a non-consensual sexual act.

The BBC said the claimants had not contacted the police, and the men involved disputed the allegations.

“We are aware of media reporting relating to allegations of rape and sexual assault following the airing of a television program on Monday,” a Metropolitan Police statement said.

“At this time, we have not received any criminal reports in relation to this matter. We will be making approaches to the relevant production teams to ensure that anyone they have spoken to is aware of how to report any criminal allegations to police.

Conservative MP Caroline Dinenage, who heads the House of Commons culture, media and sport committee, told the BBC the show clearly involved “an element of risk”.

“It’s a TV show that almost expects and anticipates people that have only just met will have to become really quite intimate with each other,” she told the BBC.

“They’re expected to share a bed and a life together within minutes of meeting. It almost feels like an accident waiting to happen.”

One of the women was Shona Manderson, who appeared on the show in 2023 and waived her right to anonymity to appear in the Panorama investigation. She accused her onscreen husband of sexual misconduct, claiming she was subject to a non-consensual sex act.

“I decided to take part [in Panorama] because I hoped in doing so that sharing my story, it will contribute to a wider conversation about welfare and positive change,” she wrote on Instagram this week.

“I did, a year after my experience on MAFS, say to production I would like a meeting about my welfare, and my meeting wasn’t honoured.”

Manderson’s on-screen partner told Panorama he categorically denied “any allegations of sexual misconduct, or that he was controlling”.

Lawyers for production company CPL said appropriate measures had been taken to safeguard Manderson’s wellbeing. Channel 4 said she was clear at the time that all sexual contact was consensual.

The British version of the program has run for 10 seasons on Channel 4. An 11th, which was scheduled for broadcast in September, has been put on hold ahead of the results of an external review.

Channel 4 has also pulled all earlier episodes from its streaming platform. Nine, which holds the rights to the British show in Australia, has done the same.

CPL did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The future of an announced spin-off called Second Marriage at First Sight, featuring contestants from earlier British and Australia series, is also unclear.

The Australian version of MAFS is also no stranger to controversy.  The 13th season, which aired earlier this year, drew criticism for its “normification” of the misogynistic views of the so-called “manosphere”.

In the 2025 series, one MAFS Australia groom was investigated for a domestic violence-related incident. Another had documented DV charges again him, which he denied, saying he had been acquitted by a court.

Channel 4 said MAFS UK was produced under “some of the most comprehensive and robust welfare protocols in the industry”, including background checks, a code of conduct and “daily contributor check-ins with a specialist welfare team”.

It has ordered a review of its welfare standards and procedures.

“I want to express my sympathy to contributors who have clearly been distressed after taking part in Married at First Sight UK,” chief executive Priya Dogra said.

“The wellbeing of our contributors is always of paramount importance.”

The claims are the latest incident to spark debate in Britain about the ethics of reality TV and the pressures placed on participants.

Two former contestants on the show Love Island died by suicide in 2018 and 2019. That show’s former presenter, Caroline Flack, also took her own life in 2020.

1800 RESPECT 1800 737 732

National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028

Lifeline 131 114

beyondblue 1300 224 636

-with AAP