axed

LESS than a week after Married At First Sight UK was axed amid rape allegations behind-the-scenes, bosses of the Australian version of the show fear it will meet the same fate.

Concerns have sparked after a second producer on the series has been stood down by production company Endemol Shine Australia, while an investigation is carried out concerning private messages sent by one of the upcoming contestants were played to his on-screen bride. 

Groom Kayne Buik has issued a complaint, prompting an internal inquiry and corresponding police investigation, according to The Daily Mail.

Buik will appear on the forthcoming season of the show, and is said to have flagged his concerns to the police while filming was underway, stressing that his privacy had been compromised.

Buik alleges that his on-screen bride Kristen Goedecke was played personal audio messages Buik had exchanged with a woman he knew prior to taking part on the show.

The woman is said to have heard about Buik’s involvement on the show via an online article, contacting producers and supplying texts and voice notes, as well as taking part in video interviews.

WED END

The MAFS UK 2026 stars that you’ll NEVER see on screen as entire series axed

FINAL VERDICT

MAFS UK’s Shona Manderson breaks silence on show axe after coming forward

She denied that any other media was provided, telling Inside Mail: “No photos or videos were sent.”

Buik is said to have refused to ignore the matter ahead of the show’s debut, worrying producers that the series will be axed, similarly to the UK version which airs on Channel 4.

NSW Police referred the matter to WA Police, and an investigation was subsequently launched, in which phones were seized from the Endemol Shine Australia office and staff involved were given access to legal representation.

A spokesperson from Australia’s Channel Nine, who broadcast the show, told the Daily Mail that any enquiries should be directed to Endemol Shine Australia, who declined to comment.

Channel Nine counts Married At First Sight as one of its biggest ratings hits averaging 2.76 million viewers per episode across total TV, and is scheduled to air in the first quarter of 2027. 

“There is a lot riding on the new season,” a source told the Mail. “‘No one wants this to be the last season.

“While it might seem unthinkable, all it takes is one big scandal combined with ratings or revenue not being where they need to be and Nine could make that call.”

Contradicting this, a source on the MAFS production team told the publication that the new season is set to be “a change of pace” than previous seasons, focusing on various couples instead of one main pairing.

This scandal comes after one couple on the new season left the show early, after things became “too toxic” between them during filming.

Since the British series was hit by scandal, Australian showrunners are said to be ensuring any “risky” couplings are removed from the process if things look to turn unsavoury in any way.

The Australian version of MAFS will already no longer air on Channel 4 or E4 in the new year, as it has done in the past.

The broadcaster “has no plans” to televise or stream any international seasons of the show after axing the UK’s incarnation of the reality series.

The external investigation into MAFS UK was commissioned by Channel 4 Chief Executive Priya Dogra following serious allegations made by three female stars in a Panorama special.

Two former brides claimed they were raped by their on-screen husbands, while a third accused her show husband of performing a non-consensual sex act.

All three men have denied the claims.

Dogra said she was “very sorry for the distress the women felt” but the review could not adjudicate on their claims.

The decision to drop the show means a full pre-recorded MAFS UK series that was filmed before the review took place will never be broadcast on the channel.

While the programme has been scrapped, the review found that Channel 4 and production company CPL did provide an adequate duty of care and did not breach Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code

Lawyers pored over 20 hours of aired and unaired footage from series three to six, analysed 31,172 documents and carried out 15 interviews with show stars.

It was found that a number of “isolated incidents” didn’t follow the welfare framework fully and that both C4 and CPL could have conducted a more structured long-term review of contributor welfare.

A second part to the review, carried out by ex BBC One Controller Lorraine Heggessey, concluded that the show could run in the future with format adjustments in place.

However, it also stated that the show’s focus on intimacy could put pressure on contributors to be intimate with their partners.

Panorama’s Mafs UK exposé aired in May.

In the programme, one of the brides who claimed she was raped said she had suicidal thoughts for the first time after her series aired.

While another bride, Shona Manderson, who appeared on the show in 2023, said she had an abortion after claiming her on-screen partner Bradley Skelly ejaculated inside her without permission.

She admitted she did not know if the pregnancy resulted from the alleged incident.

The couple stayed together for six weeks after leaving the show, but separated shortly afterwards.

Bradley said he understood Shona had consented to him ejaculating inside of her.

In a statement to the BBC, he said he categorically denied “any allegations of sexual misconduct” or that he was “controlling”.

He said their relationship “was based on mutual consent, care and affection.”

A third bride told bosses she was raped before her series was aired.

She said both she and her on-screen husband had been engaging in consensual sex, but he had proceeded on one occasion after she said no.

I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! will be back on screens from November 2026 and, as always, several huge names from the world of showbiz have been rumoured to be entering the jungle

It’s that time of year again when, in the build-up to Christmas, Ant and Dec’s reality TV juggernaut I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! dominates the nightly schedules.

From November, the Geordie duo will come live from Australia with a fresh batch of stars braving all that the outback has to offer in a bid to become the latest King or Queen of the Jungle. Over the years, the programme has bolstered the careers of TV favourites like ex-Atomic Kitten singer Kerry Katona, Geordie Shore’s Vicky Pattison and former X Factor star Stacey Solomon.

Others to have worn the crown include Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt, footballer Harry Redknapp and, last year, YouTuber Angryginge ended on top. There is almost always a soap star in the camp too, with Coronation Street legends like Beverley Callard and Sue Cleaver both having taken part.

Last year, Emmerdale star Lisa Riley, who plays Mandy Dingle, just missed out on a place in the final. As the nation prepares for the 2026 series, The Mirror takes a look at the stars who could be heading into the jungle this time around…

Wayne Rooney

Two years ago Wayne’s wife Coleen entered the jungle, which came on the back of her infamous Wagatha Christie trial against Rebekah Vardy and saw her bag what was reported to be one of the highest paycheques in the history of the show,

Now the football legend himself could be about to sign up for I’m A Celeb. It was recently claimed that bosses had been in “negotiations with him for some time,” but on a recent appearance on This Morning, he simply said fans would “have to wait and see.”

In other words: he did not deny it!

AJ Odudu

AJ is currently fronting Big Brother with Will Best but, like her co-host, currently competing on Strictly Come Dancing, she could also be about to become a contestant on one of the nation’s biggest reality shows.

A source said: “She’s had early conversations about taking part and has made it clear she can absolutely make the dates they need her to.”

Jesy Nelson

Best known as part of Little Mix, Jesy, 35, last year gave birth to their twin daughters Ocean and Story. both born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) type 1.

She successfully lobbied the government and joined forces with the Mirror to campaign to have all newborns tested for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) when her twin girls were diagnosed too late after irreversible nerve damage.

Speaking to The Sun, a source said: “Continuing to raise awareness around SMA for her girls is something Jesy is very keen to do, and she knows she can use a platform like I’m A Celebrity to reach millions.”

Ade Adepitan

Paralympian Ade, 53, could be the first star in a wheelchair to enter the jungle. A couple of months ago, it was reported that he could be about to head into the jungle, with show bosses working to ensure the camp is adapted to accommodate him.

Nadiya Bychkova

Along with Luba Mushtuk, Karen Hauer, and Michelle Tsiakkas, Nadyia fell victim to the so-called Strictly Come Dancing bloodbath last year after serving as a professional for a number of series.

It was said at the time that TV offers had been “coming in thick and fast” for the star, and she had been “in talks” with show bosses for a turn in the I’m A Celeb jungle.

Olivia Attwood

Olivia Attwood has enjoyed quite the TV career since she shot to fame on Love Island in 2017. Over the last few years, she has become a Loose Women panellist and fronted a number of investigative documentaries for ITV2.

She first entered the jungle in 2022 but had to withdraw on medical grounds after just 24 hours. She has previously said she would be open to the idea of a return if she could fit it into her pack schedule.

Su-Elise Nash

Su-Elise could be about to become the second member of Mis-Teeq to enter the jungle, after her bandmate Sabrina Washington competed in 2009 and has apparently been in early talks with I’m A Celeb bosses, especially after the Scandalous hitmakers reunited at Capital Summertime Ball.

Ricky Wilson

Ricky Wilson is known for huge hits like Ruby and I Predict a Riot as part of the Kaiser Chiefs. The Sun previously reported that he had “always politely declined” the jungle before, but could now have changed his mind.

Ben Stokes

Legendary cricketer Ben announced his retirement from the sport earlier this year, and could just be about to head into the I’m A Celeb jungle a matter of months later. Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: “Ben Stokes could soon be swapping cricket for crickets, if the latest odds are anything to go by.”

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Ryanair services daily direct flights on the route for just £15 but from April next year, layovers will now be required for those wanting to fly to fly from the UK to this city

Ryanair plans to cut all flights to a European airport next year. From April 2027, Europe’s biggest budget airline will no longer fly to Bremen in Germany.

This will axe around 500,000 seats. At present, Ryanair services daily flights on the route from London Stansted to Bremen for just £15. The airline’s website appears to have tickets for the final flights to Bremen scheduled for March 27, 2027.

Layovers will now be required for those wanting to fly to Bremen from the UK, as there will be no direct links after Ryanair stops providing flights on this route.

Ryanair previously announced it would be cancelling 24 routes to and from Germany, cutting 800,000 seats in total. Nine airports will be affected by the decision, affecting major cities and popular with tourist spots:

• Berlin
• Hamburg
• Memmingen
• Baden-Württemberg
• Cologne
• Frankfurt-Hahn
• Dortmund
• Dresden
• Leipzig

Earlier this year Ryanair said it will be reducing its flight schedule to and from Berlin by 50 per cent.

CEO Eddie Wilson subsequently said that Germany’s aviation market is “broken”. He also said it “needs an urgent fix.”

“As a result of these high government taxes/fees (the highest in Europe), and Lufthansa’s high-fare monopoly, German citizens/visitors now pay the highest air fares in Europe,” Mr Wilson said.