Series six of Married At First Sight Australia aired in the UK earlier this year, quickly winning millions of fans.
Producers of the UK version – which first aired in 2015 and was initially presented as a social experiment, seeing only two or three couples paired up – have given it a revamp so it now follows the more dramatic format from Down Under.
The new series, which hits our screens this week, will see eight couples paired up by experts with a partner who they’ll marry upon meeting. Cameras will follow them over 20 episodes to see if their romances will blossom or break down.
Each week will see the couples take on bizarre tasks, enjoy boozy dinner parties, and attend explosive commitment ceremonies to evaluate their relationships with the experts and each other – just as the Australian version does.
Here, Closer gets a sneak peek into the new season as the three new love gurus open up about their handpicked married couples and the dramas they experience...
Mel Shilling: ‘I’ve been overwhelmed by the response from UK fans!’
No-nonsense Mel Shilling – who made up one third of the counselling panel on the Australian version – has been drafted in to bring some of its magic to the new-look UK show.
Mel was an essential part of the selection process in the Aussie series, and matched together couples Martha Kalifatidis and Michael Brunelli, as well as Cam Merchant and Jules Robinson, who are still together three years on – and even have a one-year-old son, Ollie.
Mel says, “Cam and Jules are fabulous. They’re just a gorgeous couple, they’re absolutely the real deal and fun to be around, too. But I can’t identify individuals who are [my favourites] from that series... It’s like choosing your favourite child!”
Mel, 49, married her long-term partner, Gareth Brisbane, last year, but tells Closer she was single “during [her] entire thirties”. She adds, “It took me getting into a relationship – a good one – later in life to realise that relationships can actually be good. I get what an incredible enhancement a relationship can be to life.” She adds, “I’m so excited [about the new series]. I’ve been overwhelmed by the response to the Australian version and humbled by all the beautiful messages of support from the UK fans of the show.”
Paul C. Brunson: ‘We want our couples to have sex!’
He’s the smooth-talking dating guru on Celebs Go Dating, and now Paul C. Brunson is using his experience to help choose MAFS couples who’ll meet for the first time at the altar.
And Paul, 46, promises plenty of excitement. He says, “[The drama] is unexpected, challenging, exhilarating and rewarding. I can’t give much away, but I wear a smart watch that shows my heart rate and it’s never been triggered before, but it went off during the first commitment ceremony. That lets you know how crazy and dramatic things get, and how raw the scenario is.”
The couples are matched by the counsellors based on their profiles, and Paul says they all meet a “specific criteria”.
“We all look for shared values, complimentary personality and presumed attraction,” he says. “We want our couples to have a physical attraction [and] intimacy. We want the couples to have sex – it’s very important.
“Sometimes, we come across couples who are fiery. That’s great, because you should be passionate about love and your life and what your marriage stands for. But when it’s inappropriate, we don’t like it.”
And Paul – married to wife of 21 years, Jill, with whom he shares sons Liam and Kingston – admits he feels more pressure to find the right match than on Celebs Go Dating. He explains, “That’s a dating show – this is a marriage show. It’s about couples coming together for life. I don’t think marriage is for everyone, but I don’t believe we were built to do life alone, so to play a role in helping find someone’s life partner... there’s nothing better in the world!”
Check out: the ones to watch for Married At First Sight UK
Married At First Sight UK - cast to watch
1 of 3The Charity Worker
After his dad got prostate cancer in 2004, Matt from West Yorkshire quit his job in the corporate world and started working for a cancer charity. Matt, 39 – who performs in a Take That tribute band in his spare time – says, "I want to meet a special person I can start building a life and have a family with. I'm really excited."
2 of 3The Vet
Describing herself as "the life and soul of the party", 31-year-old vet Morag, from Essex, says she's fed up with being unlucky in love and is ready to meet The One. She says, "I want the experts to help as I've got high expectations of myself and what I want from my partner. I want them to help me open up and let someone in."
3 of 3The Reality Star
Londoner Josh, 26, has already dabbled in reality TV, having starred in Shipwrecked in 2019. He says he wants someone to match his "ambition and drive", adding, "Marriage has been on my cards, but I could never see myself getting on one knee – so this is a fast track! Sometimes I need to be kicked into the deep end, so this a new chapter."
WATCH: Anna Vakili and Amber Gill: ‘They said I was going a bit too crazy’ | Love Island Secrets
READ MORE
Love Island clothing rules: what can the Islanders wear in the villa?
Charlene Douglas: ‘I’m single – I know dating is hard!’
Working alongside Paul and Mel to help choose dream pairings is one of London’s leading sex coaches and relationship counsellors, Charlene Douglas.
She believes people have been struggling to find love without their help because there’s “so much choice” for singletons these days. She explains, “If you look back to the days when there wasn’t social media or dating apps, if you went on a date with somebody, you’d probably try to make it work because the chances of meeting someone any time soon after that were slim.
“Now there’s so much choice, we’re in a culture of looking to see what else is out there. That’s why it’s nice to sometimes get that intervention and support, as it can be hard to find a partner.”
Charlene, who is single, adds, “Being single myself, I know some of the challenges of dating, and it’s hard. For me, true love is based on openness, understanding who you are, being willing to compromise – but the list goes on! For me, it’s just an honour to be able to help someone else find that.”
Married At First Sight UK starts Monday 30 August at 9pm on E4