A VICAR involved in a groundbreaking social experiment aired on national television has explained his motivation for helping modern-day singles find lasting love.

The Reverend Nick Devenish, vicar of Cartmel Priory, is one of a panel of experts responsible for matching up two couples who wed on Channel 4‘s “Married At First Sight”.

The programme is aimed at finding out if science can determine the success of a long-term relationship, and saw complete strangers paired up based on rigorous tests of factors including personality, IQ, lifestyle, sexual preferences, attractiveness and genetics. 

Describing his involvement in the project as “a real privilege” Mr Devenish said: “I‘m pleased with the integrity and seriousness with which the production team has put together, yes, a television programme, but one that raises some very serious questions about where our society is and puts back into the public domain the iconic institution of marriage.”

Mr Devenish did not marry the couples, who instead wed in civil ceremonies.

He sat on the project panel in a supportive role, helping the couples understand what they want from marriage, as well as its seriousness and the commitment it requires.

Those featured on the programme were among hundreds who came forward when Channel 4 first advertised for people in need of a new way to find love.

Mr Devenish said: “Their story was unanimous - ’Once I‘ve exhausted my friends, my workplace, the gym, my hobbies, there’s no one else’.

“There is a growing trend that people in their late 20s and early 30s are wanting a lifelong partner but are finding it almost impossible to find that person.”

In the final installment of the three-part series, viewers will this Thursday find out if the two scientific marriages prove a success.

Mr Devenish made clear that the programme’s reference to the couples being able to split should their relationships fail was not made in a bid to promote divorce, but to safeguard those involved. This, he pointed out, made the marriages no different to any others in modern society.

The Anglican priest, who has faced criticism within the national media for his role in programme added: “The experiment could have run without a vicar but, for me, there was a recognition that we do still have a relevant role to play in society. 

“It did take a lot of soul-searching - I didn’t make a snap decision - but I believe the church has been put in a place where we are part of the debate, where members of society who are not linked to church can see us in a relevant way and we‘re not on the outside pointing a judgmental finger.

“In no way did anyone feel we were being disrespectful - we feel we’re doing the opposite. We’re trying to put marriage back into the debate, because this iconic institution is wavering. This is a serious social experiment placing it up on the pedestal it should be on.”