An unhealthy focus on sex - Married at First Sight UK insiders on show's 'toxic' culture

Senior staff on Married at First Sight UK had an "unhealthy" focus on whether cast members were having sex, former workers on the show have told BBC News. Producers would deliberately try to make contestants angry or upset for the sake of generating watchable drama, they say. The former workers on the Channel 4 show have spoken to the BBC following a Panorama investigation into Married at First Sight UK (MAFS UK) .

Two former cast members say they were raped by their on-screen partners, and a third alleged a non-consensual sex act. Their on-screen partners have denied all the allegations against them. Lawyers for CPL, the production company which makes MAFS UK, say the latest allegations are from a small minority of former workers, and the company's "commitment to welfare... is evidenced by the high consecutive return rate of crew across the MAFS series". The fresh claims come after a difficult week for the show. All episodes have been removed from Channel 4's streaming service, a major sponsor has pulled out, and the fate of the latest series - which has been filmed but not broadcast - is uncertain. The format of MAFS UK sees single people agree to "marry" total strangers, after meeting for the first time at their mock weddings. But according to several of the workers we spoke to, there was an emphasis on sex from the outset of filming a new series. Most of those we spoke to have requested to remain anonymous, as they still work in the TV industry. One, who is happy to be named - Soraya Spiers - calls the culture on the show "toxic from the top down". "On the wedding night, there's an expectation, for those of us who were working on the show, that you should get some sort of hint if the couples are going to sleep together," she tells BBC News. "Even though they've only known each other for two seconds by that point." Another former worker, who worked on MAFS UK for several years and attended multiple filmed set-piece events, says she raised concerns that some couples might not want to share a bed on the first night.

Key points

• Two former cast members say they were raped by their on-screen partners, and a third alleged a non-consensual sex act.
• Their on-screen partners have denied all the allegations against them.
• Lawyers for CPL, the production company which makes MAFS UK, say the latest allegations are from a small minority of former workers, and the company's "commitment to welfare...
• is evidenced by the high consecutive return rate of crew across the MAFS series".
• The fresh claims come after a difficult week for the show.