EXCLUSIVE: Channel Nine ‘in trouble’ over Married At First Sight scene involving Jessika Power and Dan Webb ‘on top of each other in a sexual way’ – as a petition to have the show banned reaches 20,000 signatures
Channel Nine could be ‘in trouble’ after airing a sexually suggestive scene on Married At First Sight earlier this week, a former executive has warned.
Rob McKnight, who worked for Nine’s News and Current Affairs department between 2008 and 2013, believes the bedroom scene involving Jessika Power and Daniel Webb on Monday night went ‘too far’.
McKnight, the editor of industry website TV Blackbox, said: ‘I think Channel Nine might be in trouble with this one. To me, the scene was certainly confronting for a PG timeslot and I wouldn’t want my kids watching it.’
EXCLUSIVE: Channel Nine could be ‘in trouble’ over a Married At First Sight scene involving Jessika Power and Dan Webb ‘on top of each other in a sexual way’
‘While the couple didn’t actually engage in sex on screen, they were on top of each other in a very sexual way’, he added.
According to the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice, ‘depictions of and verbal reference to sexual activity must be restrained’, ‘mild in impact’ and ‘remain suitable for children to watch with supervision’.
Reflecting on these guidelines, McKnight told Daily Mail Australia: ‘Was this scene suitable for children? I wouldn’t think so.’
Pushing boundaries: Rob McKnight, who worked for Channel Nine’s News and Current Affairs department between 2008 and 2013, believes the scene involving Jess and Dan went ‘too far’
He continued: ‘The couple were in a sexual position no doubt, but weren’t actually doing anything, so it will be interesting to see what ACMA [the Australian Communications and Media Authority] makes of it.
‘Nine will argue that it was at the end of the program when kids are not likely to be watching, but the fact is the show still sits in a PG time slot.’
It comes after Daily Mail Australia revealed that ACMA has been flooded with complaints about Married At First Sight following a series of controversial moments.
In a statement on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the media watchdog confirmed that all complaints had been forwarded on to the ‘licensee for consideration’.
Suggestive: On Monday, viewers were subjected to a graphic scene showing Dan standing in his underwear and crawling into bed with Jessika
‘ACMA has recently received complaints about [Married at First Sight],’ the statement read. ‘Complaints about broadcasts are referred in the first instance to the licensee for consideration.’
Meanwhile, a Change.org petition calling for MAFS to be ‘banned from television’ is gaining momentum, having reached more than 20,000 signatures since Sunday.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Nine for comment.
Divisive: It comes after Daily Mail Australia revealed that ACMA has been flooded with complaints about Married At First Sight following a series of controversial on-screen moments