 Thomas 's father Ross Goodall posted the video to YouTube on 6 November 2014 . He later explained to media that he wanted to make the video available to his family and had no idea it would become popular online . CNN reported that after its appearance on YouTube , the video was viewed over 200 @,@ 000 times in its first 48 @-@ hours online . This more than doubled the next day , and less than a week later it had over 900 @,@ 000 total views . BBC News observed that Capaldi 's message had become a viral video , and ITV News described response to the video as a global phenomenon . 
