The Dark Side of Married at First Sight review there is enough awful detail here to fuel 1,000 more exposes

"Allegations of rape and sexual assault have arisen from a reality show built around the conceit of strangers marrying each other at first sight, then cohabiting in the full expectation that marital relations will ensue and if not, they will be quizzed by a panel of experts as to why not. All this, and under the pressures of filming and the medium's insatiable appetite for emotional drama and conflict, plus manufactured situations such as group dinner parties to encourage any grievances to burst into flames on top of that?"

"Lizzie describes how once they were on their honeymoon, her on-screen husband started displaying an explosive temper. After they started sleeping together, she says, the sex turned violent, leaving her with bruises. She says that he told her if she told anyone about it he would get someone to throw acid at me and later You can't say no, you're my wife raped her. She says that although she made the programme-makers, CPL Productions, aware of the acid threat and her bruises, filming conti"

"This time, the focus is on allegations by three former wives who appeared on Channel 4's wildly popular show (10 series and at least until now counting), known by fans as MAFS, or MAFS UK to distinguish it from the international editions that have developed since the original Danish version in 2013. Lizzie and Chloe not their real names, and actors are used to voice the women's words in the half-hour broadcast say that they were raped by their on-screen husbands, and Shona Manderson, who speaks in person, says she was subjected to a non-consensual sex act. All the men deny the claims."

"The only possible true surprise here, surely, is that this hasn't happened before. Panorama's latest expose, The Dark Side of Married at First Sight, is presented by Noor Nanji, who has previously worked on investigations into the allegations of various forms of sexual and other misconduct behind the scenes at the BBC hits Strictly Come Dancing and MasterChef. This time, the focus is on allegations by three former wives who appeared on Channel 4's wildly popular show."

Allegations of rape and sexual assault have been raised from a reality show where strangers marry at first sight, cohabit with expectations of sex, and are later questioned by experts about why marital relations may not occur. The show’s filming pressures and drama-focused production methods are described as creating conditions for grievances to escalate. A broadcast presents claims from three former wives who say they were raped or subjected to non-consensual sex acts by their on-screen husbands. The men deny the allegations. One claimant describes an escalating temper, violent sex, bruising, and threats involving acid if she told anyone. She says producers were informed about injuries and threats during filming.

Read at www.theguardian.com