There is a particular kind of silence that institutions produce when they are frightened — carefully worded, partial, and just transparent enough to reveal what it is trying to hide. Channel 4 has been living inside that silence since May, when a BBC Panorama investigation alleged that two women had been raped during the filming of Married at First Sight UK, and that a third had been subjected to a non-consensual sexual act. All three men named deny the allegations. The broadcaster, for its part, initially told Panorama that the claims were "wholly uncorroborated and disputed," and its chief executive, Priya Dogra, declined to offer an apology when first asked by a reporter — though she returned two days later with words of sorrow, saying she was "deeply sorry" for what the women had experienced.

That carefully managed contrition has now met with a firmer wall. Standing in the House of Commons on Thursday, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy addressed MPs in language that left little room for diplomatic ambiguity. "I know members across this House will be horrified and disgusted at the serious allegations of abuse against women in the TV industry that have emerged recently," she said, before adding that the government was not satisfied with the response it had received from the broadcaster, and that further discussions would follow in the coming week. Channel 4 has since removed all episodes of MAFS UK from its streaming platform and commissioned an external review of contributor welfare — yet it has indicated that only a summary of that review's findings will be made public, rather than the full report.

That decision alone has drawn fresh criticism, since the women at the centre of the allegations have consistently argued that the channel did not do enough to protect them during filming.