Overview
Jesus Christ in Richmond Park is a viral YouTube video depicting journalist Max Findlay running after a black Labrador Retriever, Fenton, itself chasing a herd of around 40 stampeding deer over a road in London's Richmond Park. Findlay was recorded repeatedly shouting "Fenton", and "Jesus Christ!" The video was filmed and uploaded on 13 November 2011 by 13-year-old Jake Goodyear, who was visiting the park with his father Ali. The video went viral by 22 November, particularly on Twitter, where it was a trending topic. It reached 1 million views on 24 November, and prompted a number of parody videos in which Findlay's shouts were set to movie scenes and wildlife footage. Some users falsely believed the dog was named Benton. Findlay was not identified until 13 December and chose to stay largely private.
The popularity of the video resulted in the release of a puzzle book titled Find Fenton! and an EE advertisement that remade the footage of the original video.
Background
in 2011 Richmond Park, located in south-west London, is known for its free-roaming red and fallow deer. The charity Friends of Richmond Park estimated that uncontrolled dogs killed about 6 deer, usually the young, in the park each year. That September, a dog owner had accepted a £650 fine after failing to stop her dog from mauling one of the park's deer. Findlay, aged 60, was a married father of two.
Incident and video
The video was filmed on a mobile phone on Sunday 13 November 2011 by 13-year-old Jake Goodyear from Holloway in north London. Jake was visiting Richmond Park in south-west London with his father Ali, a 37-year-old gardener. of which there are around 40. They cross a busy road that cuts through the park, forcing cars to stop. After Jake stopped recording, Ali said that the deer scattered and Fenton disappeared into the woods, with the dog's owner 500 metres behind. He said he was unaware if the video had a happy ending as they ran into the distance. Finding it "very funny", Jake later posted the video on YouTube, also on 13 November, to the channel JAGGL113.
Responses
Initially, several viewers falsely heard the owner shouting "Benton", sparking debate over the name online. However, Ali Goodyear made it clear that the dog's name was Fenton. BBC Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine posted about the video to his followers. Dog owners in Richmond Park were interviewed about the incident and were divided on whether the owner should have had better control of Fenton, or whether he should be afforded sympathy. Ali agreed to a revenue-sharing deal with YouTube and earned £500 in 24 hours.
A number of parody and remix videos were created from the clip by 23 November, The clip was also dubbed into wildlife footage of geese, bison, Royal Parks police said there was no formal investigation into the incident, but that "the circumstances surrounding the incident are currently being reviewed to ascertain whether park regulations have been breached," stating that they would speak to Findlay. In September 2012, Find Fenton!, a Where's Wally? style puzzle book by author Stuart Cooper and illustrator Martin Berry, in which readers are tasked with finding the dog amongst London landmarks such as the House of Commons and the Royal Albert Hall, was to be published by Headline Books. By this point, the video had been viewed over 6.9 million times. Viral Spiral was also in talks to license an ad campaign,