2 weeks ago
New Channel 4 CEO Priya Dogra has apologized to nan women who made “very troubling” rape allegations connected Married astatine First Sight UK (MAFS), but has stressed nan web “cannot analyse nan circumstantial allegations against nan men.”
Dogra, who is conscionable 2 months into nan job, delivered her 2nd connection to property this greeting astatine nan Channel 4 Annual Report briefing, wherever nan focus was very overmuch connected MAFS and she faced galore questions connected nan scandal.
Dogra declined to apologize yesterday aft nan airing of a BBC Panorama documentary and in-depth news article connected nan MAFS allegations, but coming she said she was sorry. As she was speaking, MPs connected nan Culture, Media & Sport Committee contacted Channel 4 pinch galore questions astir nan saga.
“I person heard nan women’s accounts, which are very troubling,” said Dogra, who has commissioned an outer reappraisal into Channel 4’s handling of MAFS allegations that will study later this summer. “Their distress is clear and for that I americium of people profoundly sorry.”
Dogra said nan Panorama was “hard to watch” and it was “hard to perceive nan women talk astir their experiences.” Yesterday, her predecessor Alex Mahon called nan allegations “very superior and concerning,” and said they were “worth different look.”
The allegations see 2 of rape and 1 of a non-consensual activity act. The 3 men accused of wrongdoing contradict nan accusations, while Channel 4, which said it was made alert of nan allegations respective weeks earlier Monday night’s Panorama, and producer CPL Productions, opportunity use protocols were followed. Nevertheless, Channel 4 has commissioned 2 outer reviews, 1 from a rule patient “examining nan use protocols successful spot connected this programme astatine nan clip claims were raised” and nan different from erstwhile BBC One Controller Lorraine Heggessey, who is probing whether “any changes should beryllium made to existent protocols for MAFS UK.”
Dogra stressed coming that Channel 4 “cannot analyse nan circumstantial allegations against nan men, which they person denied.”
“We are a broadcaster, not an adjudicator, and allegations of this type are investigated by different bodies, including erstwhile complaints are raised, by nan police,” said Dogra. “What I tin do, and person done, is to committee an outer review, which I did conscionable days aft being first contacted by nan BBC backmost successful April.” Her comments came a time aft nan Metropolitan Police urged victims connected nan show to travel forward.
Dogra described reports that MAFS UK has been canceled arsenic “wholly inaccurate” and said nan web will make “no decision” complete nan sixth play until nan reappraisal concludes. That play is “substantially filmed and presently successful nan edit,” according to main contented serviceman Ian Katz. “Obviously we will spot what if immoderate recommendations look from nan reappraisal erstwhile we get it,” he added.
“Jigsaw identification”
Channel 4 took its full MAFS UK back catalog down anterior to nan Panorama and Dogra said this was done successful portion done an “abundance of caution” to debar “stoking speculation that mightiness lead to nan jigsaw recognition of nan women successful nan Panorama programme aliases so immoderate different contributors.” “That is why nan programme was taken down and I judge that it is nan responsible point to do successful nan circumstances,” she said.
Katz, who is soon to measurement down aft almost a decade arsenic Channel 4’s longest-serving contented chief, said he is “very assured that, based connected nan knowledge that we had astatine nan time, we made nan correct decisions and ensured nan women progressive were kept safe erstwhile immoderate issues were raised to america and were fixed nan due support.”
According to BBC News, 1 of nan women who accused her on-screen hubby of rape showed nan MAFS welfare squad her bruises and told them everything, speech from nan alleged onslaught itself.
With examples for illustration this successful mind, Katz acknowledged location is simply a “gap” betwixt Channel 4 emotion it has “made nan correct decisions” and “a business wherever you person contributors who person been done a show and consciousness very fto down.”
“I deliberation if you talk to anyone who’s worked pinch me, you will cognize that I personally attraction profoundly astir nan use of group who return portion successful our shows, and done each of my watch here, I’ve put contributor use astatine nan absolute halfway of our commissioning approach,” he added. “So, erstwhile group participate successful 1 of our shows and travel retired emotion that they haven’t been taken attraction of, I deliberation that’s a failure.”
Three outer use reviews person been commissioned during Katz’s tenure, 1 into MAFS, one into nan termination of existent crime shaper John Balson and 1 into nan behaviour of Escape to nan Chateau hosts Dick and Angel Strawbridge.
Responding to a mobility from Deadline, Katz denied Channel 4 has a wider use problem and said nan reviews are “evidence of really earnestly we return those benignant of issues and allegations, and really rigorously we looked astatine them.”
He noted that nan Balson and Strawbridge reviews recovered “we had done nan correct things and taken nan correct actions astatine nan correct time.” The Balson review found that Channel 4 had acted “reasonably and appropriately” pinch its work of attraction earlier nan shaper took his ain life. Channel 4 cut ties with nan Strawbridges aft that review.
“Financial pressures” didn’t lead america to MAFS, Dogra says
Dogra and Katz were ostensibly speaking to property astir today’s Channel 4 Annual Report.
Dogra refused to remark connected whether axing MAFS will deed Channel 4’s bottommost statement and “challenged nan notion” that financial pressures unit nan web into greenlighting celebrated reality shows for illustration MAFS.
“We make complete £1B ($1.34B) of gross and put £600M of that into our programming,” she added. “We person a divers scope of programming, and our occupation is to proceed to put successful nan UK imaginative assemblage and negociate each different costs that we incur successful nan company. I don’t deliberation that’s immoderate different than immoderate different business, peculiarly not immoderate different media business.”
Channel 4’s gross was broadly level for afloat twelvemonth 2025, while it continued to station a pre-tax shortage of astir £10M and spent £640M connected content.
The web coming revealed it has renewed its revolving in installments installation of £150M for nan adjacent 5 years connected “competitive terms… to support investing successful contented while we navigate nan ongoing marketplace situation and proceed to advancement our transformation,” according to finance main Lucy Thomas.
Channel 4 spotlighted highlights from 2025 including Virgin Island, Patience and Mitchell and Webb Are Not Helping.
Unsurprisingly, nan property merchandise touting Channel 4’s successes didn’t mention MAFS. However, nan Annual Report, which intelligibly went to property anterior to nan allegations being received, called nan latest play of MAFS “Channel 4’s most-streamed show of nan twelvemonth – and most-streamed MAFS UK series ever (up 10% connected 2024).”
