Dick Van Dyke is trending on Twitter - but don't worry, it's for a really nice reason

We all know that lurching feeling of dread we get when a treasured elderly celebrity is trending on social media - well this time it was Dick Van Dyke’s turn, when his name was trending on Twitter this morning.

But, it wasn’t bad news about the 93-year-old actor that had gotten his name trending, but a delightful video clip of him singing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang a capella in a restaurant.

In the clip, the Mary Poppins legend looks sprightly and relaxed as he sings a song from one of his most famous roles, with three other men assisting him with the harmonies.

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The performance is in a busy restaurant, all eyes watching the apparently impromptu performance, with many capturing the moment with their mobile phones. The song ends to rapturous applause and a huge smile from Van Dyke.

The clip, which is just over a minute long, was posted by author Giles Paley-Phillips, along with the caption: “Dick Van Dyke singing "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" in a restaurant will cheer you up no end.”

Within three hours of being posted, the clip had been viewed almost 200,000 times, retweeted more than 2,000 times, and liked just over 8,000 times.

English actor Mark Gatiss commented on the clip, saying: “You have no idea how happy this makes me!”

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With the tweet receiving so much attention, the legendary actor’s name was soon trending, and some people were very relieved it was due to this lovely clip, and not something else.

One person tweeted: Saw that Dick Van Dyke was trending on here and I thought he had died, my heart sank.. but nahh it was just a wholesome vid of him singing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in a restaurant.. Phew”

Another said:

“PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT-

Do NOT scare me by making Dick Van Dyke trend like that ... I had a mini heart attack.

Elsewhere some used it as a chance to sharpen their gif-game, with one posting: “When Dick Van Dyke is trending on Twitter.”

Another wrote: “This is me when dick van dyke is trending and it not "you know what"”

Another put: “Saw Dick Van Dyke trending and ma heart dropped out ma ass!! It’s fine tho, he’s ok!!”

Van Dyke’s most recent film role was a cameo in Mary Poppins Returns in 2018.