Noor Nanji,Culture correspondent,

Katy Watson,Sydney correspondentand

Georgia MacPherson,BBC Panorama

Married at First Sight Australia stars say the show left them feeling unsafe and unprotected because their on-screen partners had criminal pasts which they were not told about, a BBC investigation can reveal.

It comes after the British version of the show, known to many as MAFS UK, was plunged into crisis after BBC Panorama reported rape allegations from two women contestants - allegations the men involved have denied.

One woman from last year's Australian series says she was not told the man she had been matched with had a previous drug conviction and only found out after the show ended. "There should be informed consent," she told us.

We can also reveal that another groom from the same series had a past conviction for affray, which we understand his on-screen bride was not made aware of.

Nine former cast members from MAFS Australia have spoken to the BBC and are now calling on the show to improve its background checks and to stop allowing individuals with previous convictions or allegations on the show.

MAFS Australia is not made by the same production company as MAFS UK. Endemol Shine Australia is behind the show, which airs in Australia on Channel 9.

In a joint statement, Channel 9 and Endemol Shine Australia said they had "strong protocols in place to ensure participant safety and wellbeing".

As well as being a huge hit in Australia, the show is popular in the UK and is shown on Channel 4. The broadcaster has pulled all the UK episodes of MAFS from its streaming service All 4, but MAFS Australia remains available to watch.

Both programmes show single people agreeing to "marry" total strangers after meeting for the first time at their mock weddings.

The marriages are not legally binding, but viewers see the couples go on "honeymoons", before moving in together and navigating their relationships - all while being filmed, almost every day.

Several male contestants have been allowed on MAFS Australia despite having been convicted of, or having faced allegations of, violence, assault or drug use.

The BBC is reporting some of these details for the first time, while others have previously been reported in Australian media. We found many of the details in court records on a publicly accessible database.

Some female cast members we spoke to told us they had not been informed about their partners' criminal pasts when they were matched.

When we asked Channel 9 whether they had been - the broadcaster did not answer that specific question, but told us its protocols did not include sharing personal or background information between participants.

'Brides are not safe on MAFS Australia'

Sierah Swepstone, from last year's series, says she feels let down by the show's producers.

She was cast with Billy Belcher, who was arrested and sentenced in 2014 for multiple drug-related offences in Perth.

She says she was not told about his previous conviction and only found out after the show ended.

"You shouldn't be left alone with a stranger with a criminal record," Swepstone told us.

"At the very least, there should be informed consent. They should let us know. Why is the show accepting that risk on our behalf? We should have the choice."

Swepstone now feels strongly that she was not protected on the show and says it failed in its duty of care towards her.

"Brides are not safe on MAFS Australia," she says.

Belcher did not respond to a request for comment.

Channel 9 and Endemol Shine Australia pointed us to a previous statement which said: "Billy was completely honest with production about the life lessons he learnt when he was 18, after receiving a suspended sentence with good behaviour for drug related offences."

They also said there were no accusations or convictions in relation to violence or abuse of any sort.

'I was terrified'

Another former contestant also told us her on-screen partner had told her during filming that he had behaved aggressively in the past, and that producers knew.

"I was terrified the whole time," says the woman, who has asked to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions. We are calling her Anna.

"I thought I'd be safe, that's why I signed up to the show."

She was left traumatised by her experience, she says.

He had a temper, Anna says, and on one occasion threw a mic-pack at a wall, smashing it into pieces while swearing. Another time, she says he threw an object at producers during filming.

BBC News has also seen a picture of a bruise she sent during filming to a number that we have verified belongs to her on-screen partner, who responded: "Shit! I'm so sorry."

Channel 9 and Endemol Shine Australia told us the male contestant was involved in an isolated event several years prior to MAFS Australia. They said he did not have a criminal record and they had no record of the allegations of him throwing the mic-pack and or the other object.

Anna's on-screen husband says he "categorically denies every allegation" raised by her, or regarding his past. "These claims are entirely false, malicious, and a complete distortion of reality," he adds.

Anna says her problem is primarily with the show for allowing her to be in that situation.

"Channel 9 are making money off people who are vulnerable," she says. "They did the checks and they knew about his background, and they cast him anyway as it makes 'good TV.'"

Cast members with past convictions also include Adrian Araouzou, a groom on the 2025 series.

Prior to his reality TV stint, the BBC has learned he received a 2017 conviction for affray.

Previously, it was reported he had also been acquitted of domestic violence, and that details of his trial had emerged during filming.

When asked for a response by BBC News, Araouzou said it was "none of your business" and told us the information we had put to him was "false".

We asked Channel 9 and Endemol Shine Australia whether they had told Araouzou's on-screen partner about the conviction for affray. We understand she had not been told.

They said: "All participants on MAFS, including Adrian, undergo extensive background checks including police checks."

They also said: "The affray conviction was nine years ago, and the penalty was a $400 [£210] fine, placing this at the lowest end of the spectrum for this offence as determined by the court".

Other male cast members with criminal histories include Timothy Smith, who took part in the 2024 series.

After filming on the show, Smith confirmed he had previously spent a year in a US prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking. On his website, he describes himself as "cartel pilot to corporate leader".

Smith told the BBC he stood by what he had said of his past. Channel 9 and Endemol Shine Australia said his conviction, which was in the US, was not revealed by him until after the series was broadcast.

Separately, Chris Nield, from the latest series, was previously found guilty of common assault. Nield did not respond to our request for comment.

Channel 9 and Endemol Shine Australia said Nield's conviction arose from a one-off altercation and there had been no repeat conduct in the 11 years since.

The show 'dropped the ball'

We have spoken to several further Australian cast members who have concerns about the casting process on the show.

One groom, who asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC there had only been two weeks between him applying for the show and filming starting.

The checks had been "rushed", he said. When he could not find certain documentation to prove he did not have a criminal record, he says the show's producers told him they would "just take his word for it" as they were in a hurry to get started.

"I didn't have a criminal record, but it raises the question over what happens if they put someone on the show who does have a history," he said.

Other cast members also said they felt the show had "dropped the ball" when it came to background checks. They include Katie Johnstone, from the 2025 series, and Tahnee Cook from the 2023 series.

Neither were partnered with men with past convictions, but they say they are aware of others who were.

"If you're with someone who has a sketchy background, then you should be made aware of that," said Johnstone.

"Especially considering you're expected to be alone and share a room with this person," she added. "You need to know and it's not fair that women are being placed in these positions."

"These checks can't just be a tick box," added Cook. "I don't think you should be allowed on with any previous offence. I think it's unsafe."

Our Watch, an Australian non-profit organisation aiming to prevent violence against women, told the BBC that allegations or convictions must be treated as "a serious safeguarding issue" by TV productions, "and not withheld from the people most at risk".

Channel 9 and Endemol Shine Australia said they take their obligations in respect of the health, wellbeing and safety of participants "extremely seriously".

"There is a structured, multi-stage checking process that every participant must complete and clear," they said - including police and criminal-history checks in each declared country of residence, independent clinical psychological assessment, medical screening, disclosure supported by a statutory declaration, and legal and digital due diligence.

Channel 4 said it is not involved in the production of MAFS Australia and has "no editorial control or input" into its making.

"However, Channel 4 ensures any version it transmits of acquired programmes adheres to the Ofcom Broadcasting Code."

• If you have more information about this story, you can reach Noor by email at noor.nanji@bbc.co.uk