Outrage as Australian dj behind the Duchess of Cambrige hospital prank wins National award

Outrage as Australian DJ behind hoax on Duchess of Cambridge's hospital wins top award despite suicide of nurse who took call... and even says 'I'm at the top of my game'


One of the DJs behind the sick prank on the Duchess of Cambridge's hospital has sparked outrage after accepting a national award for his stunt.

Michael Christian, who paired with Mel Greig during the hoax on Australia's 2Day FM, has been named the 'next top jock' of the station and now describes himself as being 'at the top of my game.'

His comments come despite the fact that the nurse who took his initial call Jacintha Saldanha, 46, was found hanged three days after the incident.


Mr Christian's award comes as co-host Miss Greig is said to be still suffering remorse over the prank
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'If this competition has taught me anything, it's that there's a LOT of talent in this company.

'Plus it's given all our announcers access to ideas, ways of thinking and people we might (not) normally have day-to-day contact with.'

But while Mr Christian was singing his praises six months after the prank call to King Edward VII hospital in which he pretended to be Prince Charles and Miss Greig did a bad impersonation of the Queen, Communications Minister Mr Conroy was not amused.
The inquest into the death of Jacintha Saldanha, pictured with her husband Ben Barboza, is expected to be held in September

The inquest into the death of Jacintha Saldanha, pictured with her husband Ben Barboza, is expected to be held in September

Criticising the award, he said it was not appropriate, particularly so soon after the nurse's death a few days after the prank call.

'I think there's a bit of bad taste involved there,' Mr Conroy said on Melbourne radio station 3AW.

'There were some very serious consequences of what was a prank and to be seen to be rewarding people so soon after such an event I think, is just in bad taste.'

Australian author and former 2Day FM presenter Wendy Harmer said industry insiders are 'bewildered and embarrassed' by the decision.

Writing in the Guardian she said: 'What a slap in the face for Saldana’s family. What an appalling message to send to staff.

'Did they mean to say: “Get your face out there. Do anything. Whatever it takes”?

'Because that’s how this is being read. And to say it’s not a good look is a wild understatement.'

News of 26-year-old Mr Christian's award comes just days after it was reported by Adelaide's Sunday Mail newspaper that the radio station's management had distanced themselves from Miss Greig, 30.

An unnamed source told the paper that the producers who were involved in the prank and Mr Christian had not been having much contact with Miss Greig.

'It seems as though everyone has gone back to work as though nothing has happened,' the source said.

Miss Greig's lawyers have said she wants to testify at the inquest into Miss Saldanha's death.

The newspaper suggested that Miss Greig had been stopped from sending a condolence letter to the nurse's family.

As part of Mr Christian's award trip to Los Angeles he will be taken on a tour of the studios of the city's leading radio station.

The apparent split between himself and Miss Greig was not foreseen by either of them when they pulled off the prank in December, as they later admitted in an interview with an Australian current affairs TV programme.

Pretending to be the Queen and Prince Charles, they duped Miss Saldanha into putting their call through to the room where a pregnant Kate Middleton was being treated.

They extracted information about her condition from a duty nurse assigned to the Duchess.