MAFS UK Faces Crisis: All Stars Spin-Off Shelved

A planned spin-off for has reportedly been shelved by bosses after several contestants claimed they were sexually assaulted on the show.

The E4 reality series has faced calls to be axed after claims aired by Panorama that two women had been raped during filming, while a third woman had said she was the victim of a non-consensual sex act.

Prior to this, bosses had announced that the spin-off Second Marriage At First Sight, which would see stars from MAFS UK paired up with those from the Australian version, was in the works.

But now, sources are claiming that a casting call has been closed, with all the crew told they will no longer be needed to work on the show, after filming for the show had already been delayed by a month in the wake of the sexual assault claims.

An insider said: 'MAFS is a very lucrative franchise for C4 so you can understand why they were hoping to continue pre-production whilst the review was ongoing to not lose any time following its conclusion.

'But the clock ran out and now Second MAFS has been paused.'

They went on to tell The Sun: 'Casting for potential brides and grooms for the all-star cast has been closed and the crew has been stood down for the planned July filming.'

A Channel 4 spokesperson said: 'As we have previously stated, we will decide how to proceed once we have seen the findings of the external review into contributor welfare on MAFS UK.'

Last month, calls for MAFS UK to be axed continued to grow after a BBC Panorama documentary showed three contestants, who claimed they were sexually assaulted during filming of the show. 

Lawyers for CPL, the production company behind MAFS UK, said after the first claims that featured in the Panorama documentary emerged, that its welfare system was 'gold standard', and that it acted appropriately in all these cases.

Channel 4 boss Priya Dogra initially declined to apologise after the broadcast of Panorama, but has since said she was 'deeply sorry.'

Among the alleged victims who featured in the Panorama documentary is Shona Manderson, who says she got an abortion after her on-screen husband, Brad Skelly, took things 'too far' during sex and 'a boundary was crossed' when he ejaculated inside her without permission.

He has said he understood she was consenting and denies any sexual misconduct.

Waiving her anonymity, she described how she 'completely lost her light' during filming, which saw experts raise concerns about Brad's alleged 'controlling' manner towards her that saw them ultimately be asked to leave the show.

A fourth 'bride' who appeared on MAFS has also spoken to the Daily Mail, saying she quit the controversial show in disgust at the way she and her co-stars were being treated. You can read the full story here.

Laura Vaughan, a bride on the 2023 series alongside Shona, said she also went to the welfare team on the Channel 4 show over Brad's 'uncomfortable' and 'challenging' conduct.

Taking to social media, Laura shared a video in which she told followers that the documentary has raised questions around the safeguarding processes for reality television.

Two other female contestants reported being raped by their on-screen husbands, with one informing both Channel 4 and the production company only for the episodes to be aired anyway.

The other described being left with bruises from the alleged assault and said her partner also threatened to have acid thrown at her.

All the men are understood to deny the allegations against them.

The women say the show, produced by independent firm CPL, did not do enough to protect them and that welfare protocols were not sufficient.

Shortly before the Panorama episode aired, Channel 4 announced it had commissioned an external review into contributor welfare.

It subsequently removed all ten series of MAFS UK from its online streaming platform, and said it has not decided whether to air Series 11, which has already been filmed and was due for release in the autumn.

The marriages on the show are a 'social experiment' and are not legally binding, but cameras follow the couples as they go on 'honeymoon' and move in together.

Meanwhile, Scotland Yard has urged potential victims of sexual assault on the reality show to come forward.

A spokesperson for the force said: 'We are aware of media reporting relating to allegations of rape and sexual assault following the airing of a television programme on Monday, 18 May.

'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.

'We continue to encourage anyone who believes they have been a victim of sexual assault, no matter how long ago it happened, to get in touch with us.

The Prime Minister's spokesman called for 'appropriate action' to be taken as Channel 4 bosses met with media minister Ian Murray, for crisis talks.

The Daily Mail previously revealed how CPL had contacted staffers from across the show's 10 series urging them to be cautious about posting on social media.

They warned them about identifying the males who have been accused of rape by their on-screen spouses and offered a support email to contact, which is available until late into the night this week.

Separately, the Mail also told how past contestants were tipped off about the damning allegations prior to them coming out, warning how they may find them 'upsetting'.