There are many important things at stake in today’s U.K. general election: the prime minister’s office, austerity, European Union membership. But for international viewers tuning in tonight, it will also be the first time in five years we’ve been privy to the glorious election-night spectacle that is the BBC’s live broadcast of the results.
Unlike in the United States, where politicians grapple with their fates behind closed doors, U.K. candidates in the general election hear the results live on stage in front of the cameras—which the BBC then dutifully broadcasts to the entire world. Watch the video above for all of the 2010 election’s strained smiles, nods, and winks when the axe came down, and remember that tonight’s nail-biter results promise to be even more tremendously awkward than usual.
