Senior staff members on Married at First Sight UK reportedly had an ‘unhealthy’ focus on whether cast members were having sex.
The Channel 4 series has come under fire in recent weeks over allegations of rape made by contestants on their hit series.
A Panorama investigation found that two former cast members said they were raped by their on-screen partners, and a third alleged a non-consensual sex act. Their on-screen partners have denied the allegations.
Now, however, former workers on the show have alleged that producers would deliberately try to make contestants angry or upset for the sake of generating drama, according to BBC News.
‘On the wedding night, there’s an expectation, for those of us who were working on the show, that you should get some sort of hint if the couples are going to sleep together,’ Soraya Spiers, a former staff member, told the publication.
‘Even though they’ve only known each other for two seconds by that point.’
Another former worker claimed that a senior member of production told her, ‘We want them to sleep together’ after concerns were raised that some couples might not want to share a bed on the first night.
It was also alleged that crew members made bets on who would sleep together first and ‘they would high five each other when [the contestants] did’.
While the bets were not for money, the former worker added: ‘It was clear to [the crew] that this was all a joke.’
Lawyers for CPL, the production company which makes MAFS UK, say the allegation that staff took bets on whether contestants would have sex ‘is not something which our client recognises at all’.
They also told BBC News that the latest allegations are from a small minority of former workers, and the company’s commitment to welfare ‘is evidenced by the high consecutive return rate of crew across the MAFS series’.
Channel 4 also said contributor welfare is ‘always our primary concern across all productions’.
This comes after it was revealed that all episodes have been removed from Channel 4’s streaming service, and a major sponsor has pulled out.
Channel 4’s chief executive, Priya Dogra, said she is ‘deeply sorry’ after allegations of rape and sexual assault were made by contestants.
Dogra noted that there were ‘limitations’ on what she could say, with a review into contributor welfare underway until late summer.
She added: ‘That said, I have watched the programme and heard the women’s accounts, which are very troubling. Their distress is clear, and for that I am, of course, deeply sorry.
‘Welfare across all our programmes is hugely important to us, and is a primary concern. However, I’m sure you’ll appreciate that Channel 4 cannot investigate the specific allegations against the men, which they have denied, nor can I comment on them in any way.’
The format of MAFS UK sees complete strangers marry in a mock-wedding, as cameras then follow the couples around to see what happens next.
Metro has contacted Channel 4 for comment.
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