While a healthy disdain persists for 2016 and all the death, cataclysmic political upheaval, and general malaise it brought us, we can at least agree on one thing: 2016 also had that video of an iguana being chased by snakes, so ultimately, you could call it a draw. And now, in recognition of it being among the few saving graces of a year most would otherwise prefer to forget, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts has bestowed a BAFTA award upon it, so that future generations will recall the moment when we all briefly paused from tearing each other asunder over our ideological differences, and came together in harmony to watch a baby iguana haul ass away from some fucking snakes. Thank you, ”Iguana vs. Snake.” Please accept this trophy that sort of looks like Stephen Fry as a small token of our gratitude.
The sequence of an iguana hatchling running away from a horde of racer snakes in the Galapagos, filmed as part of the BBC’s Planet Earth II, was named the “Must-See Moment” of the year, beating out a Strictly Come Dancing performance of “Gangnam Style” by Ed Balls that, to its utter detriment, did not see the former Labour politician pursued by snakes. Other notable BAFTA winners included Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge, The Night Manager’s Tom Hollander, and The People Vs. O.J. Simpson, who may take pride in knowing that they were almost as entertaining.