A new series will return on Monday 30th August.
Get ready to see a new batch of singletons get married to a total stranger as Married at First Sight UK returns to E4 for a new series.
The dating show first aired in the the UK in 2015, and has pretty much remained the same from its launch, with couples meeting at the altar for the first time before testing out their relationship in everyday settings.
This year, however, things will look a little different as the show has been given quite the makeover.
RadioTimes.com spoke to the Married at First Sight experts, which includes Celebs Go Dating matchmaker Paul C. Brunson, Mel Schilling, and new arrival Charlene Douglas, who filled us in on the new series.
Asked how they’ve “spiced” things up for 2o21, sex therapist Douglas said: “I suppose, in the past you probably wouldn’t get an expert asking openly about sex. It’s often kind of alluded to, but not directly asked. I ask the question and I do probe a little bit to find out what’s going on, to look at the sexual chemistry, and to challenge it a little bit.”
She continued: “There are couples saying, ‘We have great sex!’ but then it’s like, ‘Well, you’re not even sitting in that close to each other now, so what’s happening there?’ So I ask a few more questions. There’s definitely lots to look forward to and some jaw dropping moments.”
!["Married]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/08/Charlene-Douglas-Married-at-First-sight-588ffdc.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Charlene-Douglas-Married-at-First-sight\"")
Like Douglas, psychologist Mel Schilling is new to the UK show.
She previously worked on the extremely successful Australian version, which the upcoming series happens to be modelled after with a bigger line-up, more episodes, as well as a few format changes such as the hen and stag do which will take place before each couple says “I do.”
!["Mel]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/08/Mel-Schilling-Married-at-Firsy-SIGHT-62774d5.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Mel-Schilling-Married-at-Firsy-SIGHT\"")
Speaking of the new series, Schilling explained: “I think one of the most exciting things is we’ve borrowed or copied some of the format elements from the Australian series, which was really popular here. So things like dinner parties where all our couples come together and it’s that melting pot of emotion and dinner really, and maybe a drink or two, and of course, the commitment ceremonies as well where our couples actually need to make that decision to stay or leave and have a chat with us about their relationships each week.”
The upcoming series will be the first time Paul, Charlene and Mel have worked together.
“I think the biggest difference between this series and all previous is the three of us,” Paul explained. “It was hard for me personally, as I was coming off the last series where the two co-hosts were two of my dear friends that I’ve known for a decade. So, to come into this series with two different sets of talent was hard, but Charlene and Mel make it easy. I think that’s a real testament to our chemistry. I think you’ll see a real family bond between us, you know, agreeing sometimes, disagreeing other times.”
“I’ve called it the dream team,” Charlene added. “I think you know when you first get together you can never really be sure you know how you’ll get on with people and not just on set, but also off set as well. Yeah, but we had so much fun on set, we had so much fun off there. And there were times that we had to be stopped in terms of how much we were sort of giggling and talking so much. The connection was real!”
Married at First Sight UK returns to E4 on Monday 30th August at 9pm. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide or visit our hub for more Entertainment news.