A new channel 4 programme has been criticised for televising strangers getting married.
The new show, called Married at First Sight, will involve couples meeting for the first time at their own wedding.
The participants will take part in what channel 4 has described as a “legally binding” ceremony and will then live together for six weeks before deciding whether to stay together or opt out of the marriage in a non-contested divorce.
The three participating couples will be selected from over 200 applicants and will be hand-picked by psychiatrists, anthropologists and theologists.
Married at First Sight has been heavily criticised by marriage support and Christian groups who have accused Channel 4 of trivialising the commitment of marriage.
Harry Benson, from the Marriage Foundation said that in particular, it was the programme’s opt-out clause which risked “trivialising” the commitment required for marriage. He added that: “Instead of getting married with clarity and intent about their future, these couples will still be in a relationship that is riddled with ambiguity. Nobody gets married with an easy opt-out clause a few weeks later. It simply undermines commitment from the very beginning.”
Simon Calvert, from the Christian Institute, described the programme to the Daily Mail as a ‘terrible idea’, saying: “It’s disappointing that TV producers seem to be in this constant race to the bottom, and this is just another idea that denigrates marriage.
“Clearly a marriage contracted between two people who barely know each other, who are doing it solely for the sake of a TV programme, is not showing proper respect for the institution.
“Marriage is meant to be for life and contracting a marriage as part of a TV show ranks somewhere alongside getting married at 3am in Vegas … it’s horrible for broadcasters to be experimenting with people’s lives in this way.”
However, Channel 4 have been quick to defend the programme, which they describe as a “social experiment.”
A Channel 4 spokesman said: “Rather than undermining the importance of marriage this is an acknowledgement that statistically the institution of marriage has a vital role to play in creating an environment where committed and long-lasting relationships can develop.”
They spokesperson explained to the Telegraph that the programme aimed to answer big questions, such as: “Can science produce a successful relationship and can the act of marriage itself help create a psychological bond that leads to true and enduring love?”