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The BBC made an Anchorman video to explain the British election

Zack Beauchamp is a senior correspondent at Vox, where he covers ideology and challenges to democracy, both at home and abroad. Before coming to Vox in 2014, he edited TP Ideas, a section of Think Progress devoted to the ideas shaping our political world.

Remember that crazy fight scene in the movie Anchorman? The one where Ron Burgundy and his team get into a murderous five-way brawl with other newscasters?

Well, a branch of the BBC has edited that scene to explain the UK’s 2017 election. And it’s amazing:

This might not make a lot of sense if you don’t follow the British election super closely. So here’s a quick explanation of what’s going on:

  • The first person to speak, taking the place of Ron Burgundy, is Jeremy Corbyn — the left-wing firebrand and leader of the opposition Labour Party. He’s flanked by leading members of his party, like his deputy Tom Watson (in the Champ hat).
  • He’s immediately confronted by incumbent Prime Minister Theresa May, from the Conservative Party. She’s with members of her government, most notably Boris Johnson — the current foreign secretary and former mayor of London. She says that “the UK needs a strong and stable leadership,” the slogan of her campaign, as she pulls out a switchblade.
  • Then Tim Farron, the head of the anti-Brexit Liberal Democrats, storms in yelling about “forces of darkness.” They then keep one of the original Anchorman quotes — “You dirtbags have been in third place for five years!” — which is a bit of a joke, as the LibDems actually have been in third place in national polls for a while now.
  • The next one to show up is Nicola Sturgeon. She heads up the Scottish National Party, which wants Scotland to leave the United Kingdom. Her character is smoking a pipe.
  • The next one to talk is the head of the Green Party, who has replaced an irrelevant random character because the Greens are entirely irrelevant in national politics.
  • Finally, Paul Nuttall — the head of the UK Independence Party, or UKIP — comes in. They put a line from Ben Stiller’s character in the movie — “Cómo están bitches” — in his mouth, which is especially funny for Americans because UKIP is the hardcore anti-immigrant xenophobic party.

Then everyone starts fighting, and Nigel Farage — the tragicomic former head of UKIP — shows up in the middle of everything. It’s great.

If you want a more substantive explanation of this actually important election, covering how it works at a basic level to the stakes to very detailed analysis of who’s likely to win, I’d recommend this explainer. If you want to stick to the Anchorman video — well that’s fine with me too.