The allegations of rape and sexual assault in this documentary about the Channel 4 series are hugely troubling and revealing. Surely this is the end for MAFS?<\/p>\n
Well. My goodness. Allegations of rape and sexual assault have arisen from a reality show built around the conceit of strangers \u201cmarrying\u201d each other at first sight, then cohabiting in the full expectation that \u201cmarital\u201d relations will ensue \u2013 and if not, they will be quizzed by a panel of \u201cexperts\u201d as to why not. All this, and under the pressures of filming and the medium\u2019s 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? The only possible true surprise here, surely, is that this hasn\u2019t happened before.<\/p>\n
Panorama\u2019s latest expos\u00e9, 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 \u201cwives\u201d who appeared on Channel 4\u2019s wildly popular show (10 series and \u2013 at least until now \u2013 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.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/5c3e04383c79fa6916db84af6eeea58730f9efaf\/81_0_1000_800\/master\/1000.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=2448aadf00e69c7e396fccd12c5cf4fe\" "\\"The")
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