Australian radio show behind royal hoax suicide canceled

The Australian radio show behind last month's controversial royal baby hoax has been canceled. 2Day FM's Hot 30 show has been taken off the air for good following the suicide last month of a nurse who fell for the show's prank phone call hoax. The broadcaster announced that a new show hosted by a different DJ would fill the slot, BBC News reported.

In December, Hot 30 DJs Michael Christian and Mel Craig called the hospital where Kate Middleton was being treated for morning sickness. They pretended to the Queen and Prince Charles, and the trick worked: they eventually got through to the Duchess of Cambridge's private nurse, who unintentionally gave radio listeners an update on her condition. 

The story took a dark turn about a week later, when Jacintha Saldanha, the nurse who first took the call, was found hanged in the hospital.   

More from GlobalPost: Jacintha Saldanha, who committed suicide after royal hoax, had history of depression: reports

But Michael Christian and Mel Greig, the DJs who made the prank phone call, are still employed by 2Day FM, the BBC reported today. They've been on paid leave since the suicide. "We look forward to Mel and MC returning to work when the time is right, in roles that make full use of their talents," Rhys Holleran of Southern Cross Austereo, owner of 2Day FM, told the BBC. 

After the suicide, evidence trickled in that there may have been more to the suicide than the prank phone call. India's Deccan Herald newspaper reported that Saldanha had a history of depression and had twice tried to kill herself before the hoax.