Samaritans calls for an end to EastEnders

Samaritans crisis counselling service has made an urgent plea to EastEnders producers begging them to stop making the long-running soap.

A spokesman for the charity commented, ‘Recently we have been overrun with calls during transmission of the show and it’s just becoming all too much for our phone counsellors to handle.’

One call centre worker who asked for his identity not to be disclosed said: 'On sixty-three separate occasion I requested emergency services go to Beachy Head to talk down ‘jumpers’ following last Christmas Day's episode.'

So far, the BBC has yet to respond to the request.