MAFS UK has come under fresh fire after former crew members alleged staff would “high five each other” over contestants having sex.
The new claims emerged in the wake of the BBC’s Panorama documentary into Married At First Sight UK.
Last week, viewers were left horrified after three women shared allegations about their experiences on the E4 dating show.
Two brides alleged they were ‘raped’ by their on-screen husbands during filming.
A third woman, Shona Manderson, claimed she experienced ‘sexual misconduct’ during her time on the show.
All three men, including Shona’s TV husband Bradley Skelly, have denied the allegations.
BBC journalist Noor Nanji has now spoken to former MAFS UK crew members, who claimed there was an “unhealthy focus” on whether contestants would sleep together.
Former MAFS UK crew members make fresh allegations
The Married At First Sight UK format sees strangers meet for the first time at the altar. Couples are then sent on honeymoon and expected to live together.
Contestants are also expected to share a bed from the first night.
Soraya Spiers, who previously worked on the programme, told BBC News the atmosphere behind the scenes was “toxic from the top down”.
She alleged: “On the wedding night, there’s an expectation, for those of us working on the show, that you should get some sort of hint if the couples are going to sleep together.”
Another former crew member, who remained anonymous, claimed concerns were raised internally about contestants being expected to share beds.
The woman alleged a senior production figure responded: “Don’t you get it? We want them to sleep together.”
She also claimed crew members would “make bets” about which couples would sleep together first. Staff would allegedly “high five each other” if they guessed correctly.
MAFS UK production company responds
Lawyers representing CPL Productions, which makes MAFS UK, responded to the latest allegations by the BBC.
Former employees were described as having “an axe to grind”. Lawyers also said the claims came from “a minority of former crew members”.
Lawyers added: “Commitment to welfare… is evidenced by the high consecutive return rate of crew across the MAFS series.
Addressing allegations about “bets” and “high fives”, CPL’s lawyers told the BBC the claims were “not something which our client recognises at all”.
Channel 4 has continued to insist contributor welfare remains “our primary concern across all productions”.
An external investigation into welfare procedures on MAFS UK is currently being carried out. Findings are expected later this year.
Channel 4 chief executive Priya Dogra previously said last week she was “deeply sorry” to the women featured in Panorama.
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