MAFS Australia's Mel Schilling to join revamped Married at First Sight UK

1 March 2021

Alongside Mel, Paul C. Brunson is set to return for the new E4 series 

 Last year it was announced that Married at First Sight U.K. would walk down the aisle on E4, in a brand-new and more explosive series, taking inspiration from the hugely successful Australian version currently gripping British viewers.

E4 can now reveal that no-nonsense Married at First Sight Australia expert Melanie Schilling will be joining returning star Paul C. Brunson for this brand-new series. Both experts will be tasked with matching a group of singles hoping to find love when they meet for the first time at the altar.

Mel Schilling has over 20 years of experience as a qualified specialist in human behavioral performance and purpose. She is best known in the UK for her role on the Australian version of the popular dating show, which has recently been airing to millions on E4. With a reputation for asking provocative questions and holding everyone accountable for their actions, Mel will be the perfect partner to returning expert Paul C Brunson.

Last year, for the U.K.’s fifth series (which aired on Channel 4), Paul Carrick Brunson had a 75% success rate, with three of the four matched couples still together now, and one of the them even expecting a baby, the series’ first! Paul, who has recently been seen on screens in the hit E4 series Celebs Go Dating: The Mansion, is an internationally recognised expert in interpersonal relationships, personal development, and entrepreneurship and considered the World’s leading matchmaker, responsible for over 2000 marriages in his career. He is described by Oprah Winfrey as “much more than a matchmaker, he’s a life coach.”

Following the format of the Australian series closely for this new U.K. version, Mel and Paul will oversee the entirety of the experience, from matching, to the altar, to honeymoon, to moving in. Much like the Australian series, rather than legal marriages, the couples will make a lifelong commitment to one another at a glamorous ceremony. The couples will then attend weekly dinner parties and take part in recurring commitment ceremonies, where they will choose whether they want to stay in or leave the process.

Melanie Schilling said: "I am so excited to join the super-sized UK version of our much-loved Married At First Sight.  Being a part of the Australian experiment for 7 seasons has taught me so much about love, marriage, relationships (and conflict) and I can't wait to share my advice and insight with you all.  I have been overwhelmed by the UK response to the Australian version on E4 and have been humbled by all the beautiful messages of support from the UK fans of the show.

I am really looking forward to joining forces with Paul C. Brunson (as I'm a huge fan of Celebs Go Dating!) and together I know we are set to shake up the UK conversation about matters of the heart - I just hope I can decipher all those different accents!

In this time of the global pandemic, now more than ever, we need to focus on connection and engaging with stories that warm our hearts and bring us closer together.  I look forward to embracing all that is great about the love and warmth of the people of the UK".

Paul C Brunson said: “Working on Series 5 of Married At First Sight was one of the proudest moments in my career. The 75% success rate we achieved with the couples as well as the fact we have the first Married At First Sight baby on the way still feels surreal. I am incredibly happy to return and be joined by Mel!”

Mel and Paul can be seen when Married at First Sight U.K. returns to screens later this year on E4. The series is 20x60’ and is produced by CPL Productions, a Red Arrow Studios company.  The Married at First Sight format is distributed worldwide by Red Arrow Studios International.

Applications for the latest series of Married at First Sight U.K. are still open, via Mafscastingteam@cplproductions.co.Uk

ENDS

Notes to Editors

 The series is produced by CPL Productions, a Red Arrow Studios Company, For E4

About Melanie Schilling

As a highly recognised and respected thought-leader in inspiring confidence, courage and competence, Melanie Schilling challenges limits and redraws boundaries to captivate and empower elevated self-awareness. It’s these prized hallmarks which have earned her recognition as one of Australia’s highest profile therapists, most notably in her role on Channel Nine’s Married At First Sight Australia in which she fast became a firm favourite amongst Australian and International audiences.

And as a qualified specialist in human behavioural performance and purpose, Mel’s relentless ambition to discover and celebrate the exceptional individual inside all of us sees her remain in high demand for motivational speaking engagements the world over.

Captivating, empowering and with graceful radiance, she effortlessly connects audiences with ideas that endeavour to inspire confidence, courage and competence in contemporary communications capabilities.

It’s a reflection of her visionary mindset that with a deep sense of self-worth and unwavering belief that even if we fail, we’re all still on the path to success.

With a reputation for asking confronting questions and holding everyone accountable for their actions, Mel uses her depth of experience across 20 years of practice to educate and entertain, intuitively blending science-backed research, aspirational anecdotes and interactive audience participation to ensure everyone always learns something new.

That’s why when Mel Schilling speaks, people pay attention.

ABOUT PAUL CARRICK BRUNSON

Paul is a serial entrepreneur, television host, and columnist whose specialty lies in teaching others professional and social skills. An internationally recognized expert in interpersonal relationships, personal development, and entrepreneurship, he currently serves as a featured business columnist for USA Today, co-host of UK’s Celebs Go Dating television show, Good Morning America Relationship expert and host of the Better with Paul podcast and event series.

Major media outlets throughout the world, such as The Talk and The New York Times in the U.S., The Guardian, Sunday Brunch, and The Jamaican Observer and TVJ in Jamaica have sought his insights on everything from finding love, to pursuing entrepreneurial passion. Named as a Top Voice on LinkedIn and the world’s most influential matchmaker by the Matchmaking Institute, Oprah Winfrey said herself that he is “much more than a matchmaker, he’s a life coach.”

The heart of Paul’s work is centred on impacting lives through mentorship and developing a new generation of servant-leaders with a desire to change the world. Paul is the founder and chair of “Give Love, Build Hope” – a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming schools in rural areas of the Caribbean. A proud second generation son of Jamaica, his greatest achievements are in his roles of husband and father. When he’s not serving the world, he’s serving his family – likely with a Red Stripe beer in one hand and a good book in the other.

About CPL Productions

CPL Productions, a Red Arrow Studios company, is one of the most successful independent TV, radio and podcast production companies in the U.K. An impressive roster of hit shows includes Sky One’s double BAFTA-winning series A League of Their Own, now in its 15th season, the US version Game On! for CBS, and spin-off series A League of Their Own: European Road Trip and US Road Trip; There’s Something About Movies for Sky One; Sky One comedy The Reluctant Landlord, written by and starring Romesh Ranganathan and Rob and Romesh Vs for Sky One; upcoming new Sky Arts poetry show Life & Rhymes hosted by Benjamin Zephaniah; multi-award winning Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds, The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes and Married At First Sight  - all for Channel 4; new kids game show Don’t Unleash the Beast for CITV; scripted series Brief Encounters for ITV; and Harry Hill / NIT Television’s Alien Fun Capsule for ITV, Harry Hill’s Clubnite  and Reasons for be Cheerful with Matt Lucas for Channel 4, entertainment series Harry Hill’s World of TV for BBC Two, and new comedy sketch show Ellie & Natasia for BBC Three.  CPL also collaborates with Romesh Ranganathan and Benjamin Green’s company Ranga Bee Productions and co-produced Romesh Presents.

www.cplproductions.co.uk