A VIDEO clip of a dale man playing a melodeon while being followed by an “ostrich” has been viewed online by millions of people.
The video of Bowes resident Mike Bettison and his friend Pete Bayles dressed up as an ostrich was filmed during a performance in the East Riding village of Goole in November and put was online that month.
The pair have done the act often over the years at events including parties, and while it is enjoyed by their audiences, they had no idea it would go viral online.
Within days of someone posting the video, millions of people across the globe had seen it.
Mr Bettison said: “It’s been seen by 25 million people and that is just the sites we know about.”
The video got a boost when it was reposted on the popular LADbible website and was picked up by Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Mr Bettison said: “I didn’t know what LADbible was at the time. Will Smith, the American actor, liked it and when he liked it we got another three million views.”
Of his five minutes of international fame, the musician said: “I am not a penny richer but if it has brought a bit of pleasure to someone in the world then that is fine.”
To watch the video search for “Ostrich spotted on UK high street” using any website search engine.
