Channel 4’s chief executive Priya Dogra has insisted the financial success of Married At First Sight UK (MAFS UK) will not determine whether the show continues following an external review.
Earlier this year, two women who participated in the show made allegations of rape and a third of sexual misconduct by their on-screen husbands in a BBC Panorama documentary which aired in May.
All three men deny the claims made against them.
Speaking at the Royal Television Society London Convention 2026, Ms Dogra said: “I don’t think the financials will play a consideration in that.
“We spent £600 million on programmes last year, we make lots of programmes. That will not be a consideration in how I make this decision.”
Ms Dogra described the Panorama documentary as “shocking” and immediately asked for a review into MAFS UK.
She added: “The Panorama programme and receiving the BBC letter was absolutely shocking.
“Those are awful accusations and allegations and what I did immediately within days of receiving the letter, which was six weeks before the Panorama came out, was do a review to look back at our handling because we cannot investigate allegations. That is for the authorities.”
The review is being led by former BBC One controller Lorraine Heggessy, who will examine whether any changes should be made to current welfare protocols following the allegations.
Ms Dogra said: “What I did is look at what we knew, what we didn’t know, and how we handled it, and then importantly, I asked Lorraine Heggessey, who was on stage earlier and who is highly respected, to do a pretty open-ended review to look at the format and say what would we do in the future.”
“I haven’t decided anything. I’m waiting for those reviews to come out so I can make a decision that’s informed.”
A MAFS UK cast member was arrested on suspicion of rape in June.
The Metropolitan Police told the BBC following the arrest: “This relates to an ongoing investigation, being led by the Met Police. He has since been bailed while inquiries remain ongoing.”
Neither the arrested man nor the alleged victim can be named.
Ms Dogra also discussed Channel 4’s confirmation that it will cut around 340 roles, the equivalent of more than a quarter of its workforce, by the end of 2026.
She explained that the reason for this comes down to her desire to save more money for the station’s programming and marketing.
She added: “We know the industry has been disrupted, we know viewers are fragmented. Our remit really is to invest in programming, we need to maximise the amount of our revenue that is spent on programming, rather than on running the business.
“Headcount is one aspect of it and I don’t take it lightly. These are livelihoods and we’re trying to run it as fairly as possible.”
Ms Dogra also ruled out Channel 4 merging with the BBC, another public service broadcaster making cuts to its workforce.
She said: “I am not positioning it for a takeover. I don’t believe there are mergers, one company is always buying another, it’s always a takeover.
“What’s unique about Channel 4 and the BBC is there’s purpose at the heart of it, rather than profit. I don’t think any of the reasons we were created have changed.
“I’m trying to create a leaner, more agile Channel 4 because I believe in public sector broadcasting.
“It is fair to say I don’t want to merge with the BBC because it would be a takeover by the BBC.”
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