It made for sensational - if queasy - viewing: first person footage of two daredevils sitting at the top of Canary Wharf’s tallest building without so much as a rope to support them.

The two pranksters became a viral sensation this week when the footage, filmed 800ft above ground, made it to YouTube. So far it has garnered more than 250,000 views and 36,000 likes - as well as a police investigation.

“Rooftopping” is prime footage on YouTube. A search for the term brings up thousands of videos. The stunts make for compelling viewing, and make their actors online celebrities.

What doesn’t make it to the Google-owned video site are the accidents, such as a 17-year-old Russian who fell nine stories while shooting for his Instagram account.