[Yudster]

I can't argue really. The whole thing made me so angry though - I stand by what I said as a gut reaction. I accept it is more multi-layered than that.

[Travis Bickle]

I completely agree with Deadly. I actually feel sorry for these 2 people doing the prank now that this is on their conscience.

I have an element of sympathy for them, but I hate humour that is designed to embarrass ordinary people minding their own business with no regard for what trouble they may get into. That said, they could never have expected this to happen.

From the audio I have heard, they didn't seriously attempt to impersonate the Queen or Prince Charles and they could never have expected the call to last more than a few seconds. It was some spectacular incompetence that allowed it to get as far as it did.

I wont lose any sleep over those to idiots though.

[Yudster]

Yes. What Travis said. Now I've calmed down a bit.

[The Deadly]

The whole thing is a tragedy all round. Nobody wins in a situation such as this.

[Nicola_Red]

I hate humour that is designed to embarrass ordinary people minding their own business with no regard for what trouble they may get into..

Me too. I can't listen to prank calls or watch stuff like Ali G or Trigger Happy cos I just find it so embarrassing. I guess I empathise with the victims more than you're supposed to or something. Our office got prank called by a local radio station once - thank God the woman who took the call was very patient and calm. If it'd been me I probably would have got angry and hung up, which would then have got me into a lot of trouble if it was broadcast.

[MK Chris]

Ali G and Borat was less to embarrass people than to expose their prejudices - Sacha Baron Cohen is an very intelligent bloke.

[slaphead1982]

They did something that has been done on hundreds of occasions and unfortunately they may have stumbled across the someone who has either depression or another illness. It can't be considered normal behaviour for someone to kill themselves over a prank.

We can't say one way or the other about illness involved but we have to realise that it involves the royal family. She may have been worried about her job but also the fact that the world knows of her * up. That can't be a good thing to think about.

[MK Chris]

Radio presenters suspended indefinitely

[Yudster]

I don't think its at all safe to assume that the poor nurse had any form of mental illness. Given the profile of the whole thing, the embarrassment alone would make you want to curl up and die. And also, although the hospital are now saying all the right things, and saying they were "supporting her through it", there would have to be a formal investigation into the whole thing, which could potentially have led to her undergoing a disciplinary hearing at work. Maybe work colleagues have been saying it was her fault, she should have known - gossip in the workplace is a terrible thing. Again, people have crumbled under less than that before.

Either way, its a horrible situation. I hope at the very least its an end to broadcasters using such a lazy and spiteful method of getting a cheap laugh.

[Nicola_Red]

The BBC news now says that the nurse who has died, Jacintha Saldhana, is not the one who revealed specific info about the Duchess' condition to the prank callers - she just answered the call, as it was 5.30am and there was no receptionist on duty. Which makes her suicide even more sad and confusing.

[jocky85]

I don't think the transcript will be released as it contains private details of the Duchess' health etc.
I don't agree with what the radio presenters did - I get prank calls have been going for years on the radio - but they should've known when to stop. Once they realised they got through & started getting details they should have ended the call

[The Deadly]

I don't think the transcript will be released as it contains private details of the Duchess' health etc.
I don't agree with what the radio presenters did - I get prank calls have been going for years on the radio - but they should've known when to stop. Once they realised they got through & started getting details they should have ended the call

The whole idea was to get through and ask questions though. How do you know how far they went if the transcript hasn't been released?

I don't want to sound unsympathetic towards the nurse but to blame the radio presenters directly for her death is completely wrong. They will have to live with this for the rest of their lives and that's punishment enough.

[neilt0]

The transcript was published on a newspaper web site. I think it was on The Guardian site. In the age of the internet, nothing can be suppressed.

[Travis Bickle]

That's all I've heard. Is there more to it than that?

[chrysostom]

Reserving judgement about what? I don't care how much of a history of depression she had, if this phone call pushed her over the edge, those two are responsible and I hope they now feel something of the same thing they put her through.

I agree with this wholeheartedly. And like Yuds I don't want to rant and rave on this subject.

An interesting case of not seeing the repercussions of pranks is this one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_of_Tyler_Clementi

I have no words for this though.

I actually feel sorry for these 2 people doing the prank now that this is on their conscience.

We'll likely never know the intricate details of her case, but once the presenters realised they were getting confidential information - they had a duty NOT to publish it and NOT to continue the call. Even if the realistic worst case scenario was the nurse getting fired or having disciplinary action taken against her.

But yeah...no ranting or raving

[Boboff]

See you have all fallen into the BBC trap of analysis of nothing.

It's just * sad.

Too suffer the pain and embarrasment and total humiliation of this, on top off life, and feel that upset and devastated, without any possibility of seeing an end to it, total and utter dispair, sufficient to kill yourself, with two children, in the run up to Christmas, it is just so very sad.

Just everyone, stand up to bullies, if you see someone being bullied, go show them some kindness. We all forget the consequences of our actions sometimes, whether intentioned or not.

*gets down from soap box.

[The Deadly]

See you have all fallen into the BBC trap of analysis of nothing.

It's just * sad.

Too suffer the pain and embarrasment and total humiliation of this, on top off life, and feel that upset and devastated, without any possibility of seeing an end to it, total and utter dispair, sufficient to kill yourself, with two children, in the run up to Christmas, it is just so very sad.

Just everyone, stand up to bullies, if you see someone being bullied, go show them some kindness. We all forget the consequences of our actions sometimes, whether intentioned or not.

*gets down from soap box.

It's not bullying, not even close. It's a prank phone call which I believe she wasn't even the main victim of. To bring bullying into this is ridiculous.

I think you should stay away from soap boxes for a while.

[Yudster]

She was just a busy nurse, trying to get on with her job and she got shat on because someone thought it would be funny. I understand the accusation of bullying.

[The Deadly]

It's nowhere near bullying at all. Hopefully someone with sense will turn up soon to agree with that point.

[Yudster]

I don't necessarily think bullying is the right term, but I do understand why people would use it. Would harassment work better?

[The Deadly]

It's a prank that ended badly. I stand by what I said initially that it isn't a normal human reaction to kill yourself over something like this and the poor girl must have been suffering with some other mental/personal issues. Im not saying the phone call wasn't a factor in her suicide but its more likely to be final straw type thing. If it turns out she has indeed been bullied/harassed by any body then I'll take it all back. I'm hoping she left a note to explain why because it will stop any speculation. What if it turns out the royal family were putting pressure on her? Nobody knows.

[Yudster]

I'm interested by your use of the phrase "something like this". If by that you mean a prank phone call, then yes, you are right. What you are missing though is that this was a bit more than just Scott Mills phoning you to take the piss. This story went absolutely global in minutes - what is the usual response to being slam in the centre of one of the biggest media frenzies of the year without having asked for it?

[slaphead1982]

What if it turns out the royal family were putting pressure on her?

Calm down Mr. Al Fayed.

[The Deadly]

I'm interested by your use of the phrase "something like this". If by that you mean a prank phone call, then yes, you are right. What you are missing though is that this was a bit more than just Scott Mills phoning you to take the piss. This story went absolutely global in minutes - what is the usual response to being slam in the centre of one of the biggest media frenzies of the year without having asked for it?

The intention was to try and get through to the hospital and poorly imitate the Queen. If you listen to what the presenters said after it all blew up they said that they didn't expect to be believed by anybody let alone go global. The intention was to take the piss but the story blew up and obviously was the/a factor in someone taking their own life. Like I said previously nobody wins in this scenario. A woman has killed herself and the two presenters will probably never get over this. The producer of their radio show who decided to run with the recording of the prank is more the blame than the presenters.

[The Deadly]

What if it turns out the royal family were putting pressure on her?

Calm down Mr. Al Fayed.

I think it's a line of inquiry worth looking at. They most certainly must have questioned her about it.