THE format of Married At First Sight Australia will be used to turn its UK cousin into a racy series to rival Love Island.
I can reveal Channel 4 bosses will embrace the blueprint from Down Under, which has seen a million viewers tune in weekly for steamy clinches and stormy dramas on E4.
The aim is to sex-up the show, which first aired in Britain in 2015, so it corners the youth market that currently tunes into Love Island on ITV2.
A TV insider said: “Married At First Sight UK started out as much more of a straight TV experiment looking at relationships. Producers were already looking to shake up the format, but the huge success of the Aussie version has convinced them they have the chance to reinvent the show and create one of this country’s most talked- about TV hits.
“They’re looking for particularly attractive and interesting characters to ensure the British reincarnation is as explosive as the one Down Under.”
In the UK show, which will move from Channel 4 to E4, only two, three or four couples are featured and meet on their “wedding day” — an unofficial commitment ceremony.
They live alone in their pairs and are later asked, once only, if they want to stay together.
The Aussie version starts with ten couples, who share an apartment in the same Sydney living quarters — much like the Love Island villa. They reconvene at weekly commitment ceremonies — and have explosive dinner parties
But relationships tend to last just as long as those on Love Island.
