Channel 4 has cancelled Married at First Sight UK after ten years on screens, ending the show after an external review into contributor welfare.
The broadcaster confirmed the decision on November 5, 2026. The sixth series, which was already filmed, will not be broadcast. The spin off Second Married at First Sight, which was in pre production and would have brought back former contestants from the UK and Australian versions, will not resume production.
Chief executive Priya Dogra made the call after two external reviews. Channel 4 commissioned the reviews after BBC Panorama presented the broadcaster with serious allegations about a small number of past contributors in May 2026. Variety reported that Panorama alleged three instances of sexual assault connected to the UK series, that one man was later arrested on suspicion of rape, and that all the men accused deny the allegations. The reviews did not establish whether the allegations were true, and Channel 4 says those matters remain for the relevant authorities.
The law firm Clyde and Co examined 31,172 documents and 20 hours of broadcast and unbroadcast footage, and interviewed people from Channel 4, production company CPL and the contributor group. It found that the welfare protocols complied with the Ofcom Broadcasting Code and that Channel 4 and CPL did not breach it in handling the issues raised at the time. A second review led by former BBC One controller Lorraine Heggessey concluded that, with enhancements to the existing contributor welfare framework and adjustments to the format, it would be reasonable to continue producing future series.
Dogra decided otherwise. She said implementing all of the recommendations would mean materially greater intervention, monitoring and supervision, and would fundamentally change the format and editorial proposition of the show. She called it a show that has now run its course over ten years. Channel 4 said the budget allocated to the show will now be reinvested in bold innovative new programmes from independent production companies.
Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, has opened its own investigation concerning fairness and privacy, and no outcome has been reported yet.
Married at First Sight pairs strangers who marry on first meeting, then follows them as cameras roll. The UK version ran for ten years on Channel 4 and became one of the channel's biggest reality hits. CPL, the production company, said it understands Channel 4's decision to bring the show to an end on the channel.
The end of the UK version closes a long run for the format in Britain. The Talk Lounge will follow what Channel 4 commissions next with the freed up budget, and whether the format finds a new home elsewhere.
