Why British cities make no sense

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Why is Reading, a massive settlement of 170,000 people, NOT a city, while the tiny Welsh village of St Davids IS a city? Is it something to do with cathedrals? Or universities? Or is it a surprisingly simple answer which only raises more questions about how city status works in the UK, and merits a ten minute video? (No, no, and yes.)
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/ jayforeman
Written and presented by
JAY FOREMAN / jayforeman
MARK COOPER-JONES / markcooperjones
Director/DOP
JADE NAGI / jade_nagi
Edited by
JAY FOREMAN
Runner
ABBY TIMMS
Voice of University Challenge
ROGER TILLING @rogertilling
VFX
CHRIS WALKER www.artstation.com/zangrethor...
Satellite map animations
PEADAR DONNELLY
Queen awards ceremony animations
DARREN DUTTON @Darren_Dutton
City Bid Pamphlets
STEWART FRASER @golfsaleriots
UK urban sprawl map
HELEN MCKENZIE @helenmakesmaps
Additional research
JONN ELLEDGE @jonnelledge
Cathedral counting research
CHRIS JOHNSON @chrislesjohnson
Additional graphics help
DAVID FLETCHER @artfletch
MATT GIRLING @iamcanalboy
Rochester sign image
@RochesterCitySt
Check out their Twitter for more info on Rochester’s city status.
See also, Tom Scott’s video about Rochester
• This town forgot to be...
Piano version of Peaky Blinders
TIM TRAVELLER @TheTimTraveller
Music help
PRESTON PARRIS @prestonoutatime

[@JayForeman]

Get an exclusive @Surfshark deal! Enter promo code MAPMEN for an extra 3 months free at surfshark.deals/mapmen

[@StanAyesha-xu2df]

Hello!

[@RotalHenricsson]

If you think about it Surfshark is a brilliant answer: you can eat the shark and presumably it comes with a surfboard which can take you home.

[@NeverStopRolling]

Did you fully research Neil Buchanan before making that joke?

[@thezomby5015]

technically #94 has been done in the past.

[@thecerealprovider3831]

i fucking love you mate

[@Punnikin1969]

Simple solution: Move Reading to Wales.

[@Zebsterr]

And suddenly Wales' GDP doubles

[@imveryangryitsnotbutter]

We should take [Reading] and push it somewhere else!

[@ThatGuyNicho]

'Accidentally' drop it on the way, shattering it into a thousand pieces and losing nothing of value.

[@coyotelong4349]

But then you’d have to change the spelling to “Rwding”

[@simonr344]

@@ThatGuyNicho causing millions of pounds worth of improvements

[@Michelleaneous_]

Wow - the budget on this episode... being able to buy three large packs of Cathedral City cheese is quite a feat

[@youcanlearnalotfromlydia]

And don't forget travelling to the sign for St. Albans!

[@leontrotsky7816]

Clearly that's where the Surfshark VPN money went.

[@Naddan9]

​@@youcanlearnalotfromlydiaand they also went all the way to the sign for St David's in Wales!

[@marksimpson2321]

Quite a feast, too! ❤

[@gsurfer04]

Throw one of them on beans on toast

[@capybara2450]

To add to the confusion: most British people who live in cities refer to the city centre as 'town'

[@dillydraws]

Every center where all the shops are at are called town, unless it's a village from my experience.

[@EdDueim]

Toon.

[@emzz7358]

​@@EdDueimNewcastle

[@doncorleole2356]

@@EdDueim Gannin duuuun the tuuuuuuun

[@wta1518]

That makes sense. In the US, the city center is usually referred to as "downtown".

[@davekirwin]

The level of effort put into each episode is a joy to behold, all the animations, cut away, jokes, in-jokes, many of them painstaking done for a mere few seconds of use - an utter treat! Thanks Jay and Mark. (ps. Getting Roger Tilling involved is next level)

[@Varksterable]

Totally agree with this. And I know they are more experienced now than at the start, but I do have an urge to go back and watch all the other episodes. But with much more generous use of the pause button to pick up all the cleverly put-together jokes that flash by too fast to read normally. The dictionary, future cities and especially the list of what else Parliament has to do in this episode are just hilarious

[@CharmEng89]

@@Varksterable stopping to read all of them (getting burned by the one that said "you have time to write that email"), I half expected an Achievement Unlocked notification! (also, Neil Buchanan should alsolutely be given a knighthood)

[@SomeGuy-yl1bx]

It's been months and I just found the 'Beef Jerky' entry.

[@heddadybvadskog-nebb5603]

I greatly appreciate whoever put "make clothes sizes consistent" on the list of more important things to do cause it truly should be the top prority

[@f.eugenedunnamiii9452]

I have the mosquito thing 1st, but yah, consistent clothes sizes is top 5.

[@diamondbandit8385]

Also Ban Twitter and Ban the number 71 at number 70. The attention to detail for such a small bit 😂😂

[@antonioarroyas7662]

Invading Canada has me irrationally worried.

[@rjtimmerman2861]

​@antonioarroyas7662 at least they'll apologize right after😊

[@honderdzeventien]

​@@f.eugenedunnamiii9452the mosquito thing? Isn't that a bit far-fetched?

[@HBMediaFilms]

As someone from Reading, I dont want to become a City. Being the largest town in the UK is at least an interesting fact to tell people, if we get city status then we wont have any interesting facts to tell people Great episode as always, chaps

[@jonevansauthor]

There's a joke in here about Reading being so boring that it being a town is what's considered an interesting fact there but it would be mean to say it, so I won't. The remodelled train station is a bit of an improvement although it desperately needs shops upstairs and more seats (although literally every train station needs more seats, and shops).

[@jorriffhdhtrsegg]

​@@jonevansauthorhehe the train station? Readings response to being boring and nothing to do is to build lots of stuff that looks like an airport? They also have these featureless glass offices now too. One interesting thing was the previous brutalist weird buildings i hope they dont get rid of them all! Tbh living there is not too bad its surrounded by great country towns, scenery, oxford and london under an hour. Its just the bit you have to leave to get somewhere else that's the problem. The main historical fact being "we jailed a homosexual"!?

[@RatzaChewy]

Us Northamptonians grew up believing that WE were the biggest town. We still say it today, hoping that people are too lazy to look it up themselves.

[@changingform250]

Reading is best observed from a train window.

[@Jod-rh8xx]

Is it even the most populous town. Bolton is a town and has double the population of reading?

[@vickywong303]

I went to university in Reading and one of the urban legends we were told was that when Queen Victoria first visited Reading, she reportedly didn’t like it. Some say that the statue of her in Reading town centre is also deliberately facing away from the centre of Reading. Of course like most urban legends, no one has been able to verify this

[@DsgSleazy]

Urban legend here, I can verify that it’s true.

[@orbitpro]

I'm from Reading, was told the same thing as a kid

[@SarahViahhDay]

All of our local legends (both true and false) are depressing as hell 😂 I forgot about this one. Don't know if it's true but I heard it too growing up here.

[@MiG2880]

If you know any local Reading history, you know why. Reading in those days lacked a sewer system among other things. It stunk to high heaven and there was excrement everywhere. Reading at that time epitomised all the social ills of the day which Dickens wrote about in his novels. Disease, poverty, child labour, debtors prisons, workhouses, etc. It was pretty bad. In fact, there is some evidence to suggest that during his time in Reading, Dickens witnessed things which may have inspired some of his works. Particularly, Oliver Twist.

[@DoubleOSeven007]

I don’t blame her. It hasn’t improved over the years either unless you like chicken shops and fancy getting your nails done.

[@puzzLEGO]

the fact that they made a two page bogus dictionary at 2:44 for like 3 frames of screentime is the type of unnecessary high effort that I want to see from this channel. keep it up!

[@adiq6360]

with Chat GPT it takes 5 minutes bruh

[@AuralPods-gm4pg]

@@adiq6360no it’s personalised and fitted to the channel

[@MatthewConnellan-xc3oj]

I broke the 100 likes

[@BrickBustR]

@@adiq6360 but it would be shit bruh

[@Hand-in-Shot_Productions]

Indeed! That "dictionary" is quite funny!

[@ethanfrancis4527]

The absolute dedication it must take to visit both st David's and st albarns for one video is incredible. They're even in different countries...

[@b3yourself91]

Who knew they had the same sign too

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

@@b3yourself91 Budget cuts. It's easier for the government to reuse the signs.

[@EggPotionFilms]

Your wrong. It was the same sign, but they scraped off the word "Alban's" and welded on some metal letters reading "David's" so the signs said "st. David's" Clever!

[@ethanfrancis4527]

@@EggPotionFilms damn really? Because nobody could ever make a joke in a youtube section

[@camhalls9366]

YES! NEW MAPMEN!!!!!!! MY LIFE HAS MEANING AGAIN

[@doggy100]

+1 When new MM comes - HYPE!!!

[@crazycjk]

Cyanide and Happiness pic+Map Men fan = certified man of culture

[@TinyRobotED-tm9rs]

𝚂𝙰𝙼𝙴

[@DogsRNice]

You mean your life has cartography again Much better than meaning

[@JShips46]

Lol

[@hey3629]

3:10 the long version: "Letters patent" is a fancy way of saying "a document that is officially issued by the Monarch." Like much UK law, what this technically means, and how this practically works in the real world, are different things. Technically, the Monarch can choose any town or village or motorway service he likes, and bestow city status upon it. But practically, it's the government of the day who makes the decision, and then the ceremonial stage is the bit where the Monarch signs a big piece of paper. Another important thing to note is that even in the olden days, when the Monarch had genuine power, he wasn't actually turning places that were not cities into cities. He was merely making their already established city status into official, monarchy-endorsed city status. If you've got time to pause this video and read this essay, you've got time to reply to that email.

[@JayForeman]

If you’ve got time to pause this video and type out this essay into the comments section, you’ve DEFINITELY got time to reply to that email.

[@liquidmetalrob]

Now I'm hoping to see a spinoff entitled "It's Something to Do with Cheese" where Jay and Mark attempt to build a city made entirely out of cathedrals made of cheese.

[@JayForeman]

That. Sounds. Rubbish.

[@MatthewConnellan-xc3oj]

@@JayForemanYou are rubbish!

[@eihcra_]

@@JayForeman Its a good idea, we can call it Red Leicester.

[@elliotcm]

@@eihcra_ UK remake of The Americans?

[@Becky_Cooling]

@@eihcra_Or on the second attempt ( the first having run into some rather melty problems) we could call it double Gloucester .

[@Metalgooze]

It takes absolute ages to watch a Map Men episode as I have to pause and read all the delightful little quirks thrown in at every possible opportunity. Lovely episode as always, lads.

[@doxielain2231]

You have the time

[@hux2000]

@@doxielain2231 Brb, replying to emails...

[@Stuey182]

@@hux2000 But how do you have time?!

[@Fealuinix]

Should be easier moving forward with lists being banned.

[@Charmly7035]

I read the entire list at the end and now have a whole new perspective on how the uk needs fixing

[@stidles5461]

What I find interesting is how Colchester, despite only being given city status in 2022, still advertises itself as Britain's FIRST city, because technically it was a roman city when they first colonised

[@DomenBremecXCVI]

I think they would change the slogan, but "Britain's last city" might sour the mood a bit.

[@JimCroz]

They did that after Chelmsford became Essex’s first city. I think they were a bit salty about that.

[@lauraqueentint]

@@JimCroz oh rest assured, they were. XD

[@klausbrinck2137]

I bet, the Romans wouldn´t have forgotten to fill the paperwork, for keeping the city-status

[@iain891]

We hate the 'first city' nonsense. Everyone loved the 'oldest recorded town' signs and slogan and wish they would bring them back

[@GvinahGui]

So basically Reading was left on Read

[@HeyHeyChey]

😂😂😂 underated comment

[@class444swr3]

Absolutely love the detail on the list by 3000, everywhere around Reading has been made a city, but they still refuse to let Reading have anything

[@barrytschirpig9328]

Especially since they made "Reading 2: Electric Boogaloo" a city in 2401 and because was in Wales, it got accepted.

[@mrdaym]

I can't get over how they stop in the middle of the video to congratulate each other for being brilliant. So wholesome and factually correct.

[@shelookstome8727]

Hahaha that was excellent.

[@generallyawesome9677]

I'm surprised you didn't give Welwyn Garden City a shout. Considering it has "City" in it's title and is still considered a Town.

[@kuradamax]

Welwyn wasn't even the first garden city, that tile goes to Letchworth, which is also in Hertfordshire interestingly enough

[@neilmcdonald9164]

They're a garden city,not a plain city "garden city" is a phrase coined by the creator of such style of settlement 🎩

[@mattjackson9859]

Or as I call it - Welwyn City Garden Centre

[@williamchamberlain2263]

​@@mattjackson9859the Welwyn City town centre shopping centre?

[@ROBARIO]

There is also a settlement on the Dee called Garden City

[@riesenmax92]

It's the same in Germany, although not with cities but with towns. In Germany, a place can only call itself a “town” if it has been granted the so-called “town rights”.

[@NeovanGoth]

Wikipedia says to "town privileges": Common privileges were related to trading (to have a market, to store goods, etc.) and the establishment of guilds. Some of these privileges were permanent and could imply that the town obtained the right to be called a city, hence the term city rights (Stadtrecht in German). In other words: British city status and German Stadtrecht are literally the same.

[@riesenmax92]

@@NeovanGoth It actually makes sence for countries like the uk or the us, but i guess in germany is it slightly different. A small town (kleinstadt) with a small population (up to a few thousand people) maybe has an elementary school, a highschool and sometimes it has an local mayor. A big town (population between 50000 and 100000 people) has a lord mayor (oberbürgermeister), schools for higher education, is moustly a local powerhouse and, in some cases, the countytown like my hometown gotha. A city (population more than 100000), in my understanding, is nearly every time also a county in its own (like greater manchester or frankfurt/main), has a huge impact to the surounding areas (because of its huge size) and, sometimes, can be a state with its own government (like the city and state of berlin).

[@NeovanGoth]

@@riesenmax92 No, it's not. Terms like "Kleinstadt" and "Großstadt" are statistical categories used by the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building and have no legal meaning whatsoever. The Stadtrecht however is a privilege originally granted by the monarch. The smallest Gemeinde that has the Stadtrecht (and hence is allowed to call itself a Stadt) is Arnis in Schleswig-Holstein, which has a population of less than 300 (and hence doesn't even fall into the statistical category of Kleinstadt), while the biggest Gemeinde _without_ Stadtrecht is Seevetal in Niedersachsen with a population of over 40.000 (which is categorized as "kleine Mittelstadt"). In former times having the Stadtrecht granted a bunch of additional privileges like the right to host a market, and a certain amount of self-governance, but nowadays it's _only_ the right to call itself a Stadt.

[@makesomenoiseagency2815]

@@NeovanGoth danke √√√√ and we are not boring.....

[@gfdx3214]

The Netherlands also used to do it with City Privileges. They aren't given out anymore (last ones being from 1819), but one notable town that isn't a city if you use this definition is The Hague, our 3rd largest "city"

[@GeorgeCollier]

Interestingly, Ely cathedral actually has an octagonal tower rather than the usual square. The original square crossing tower collapsed in 1322, so they replaced it with an octagonal one. Your little bit of trivia from an Ely resident.

[@adamhope3943]

Ely does still have a square tower at the west end, which is also unusual because it's more common for medieval English cathedrals to have two towers in that position. It's a really interesting church

[@flamencoprof]

IIRC the original was stone, but the new is octagonal because it was made of wood, and it was an easier build design, or something. (Visited in 1996, from NZ)

[@cvbattum]

So that means they _do_ deserve to be a city!

[@MrMegaman1410]

this is an unexpected crossover of my subscriptions.

[@AymanTravelTransport]

@@cvbattum also, their railway station actually has an insanely good variety of services for its size (long distance trains to Leicester and Birmingham by XC and Nottingham, Sheffield, Liverpool and Manchester by EMR as well as the usual services to Peterborough, Cambridge, Norwich and London) which kinda helps its image - there are other cities of a similar size (Ripon and Armagh) which don't even have train stations!

[@thorne9790]

I love how Wokingham, Pangbourne, Winnersh and Bracknell all turn up on the “Millennium 3000 cities” list, as they’re all much smaller towns very close to Reading

[@mr22bishop]

Pangbourne is just about a village, and the only thing notable about Winnersh is that it has a Park and Ride with no buses. Still, potentially more going for them than "used to make biscuits".

[@Kromiball]

Wokingham?

[@christopherwebber3804]

@@mr22bishop and seeds and a brewery and a gaol for playwrights and a ruined church with some French speaking English kings buried there. Oh, and a battle against the Vikings and the walls of a Roman town/city. Still a rather ugly town, glad I lived on the outskirts.

[@Stealth360stealth]

Wokingham is pretty nice when it comes to connectivity, average salaries, average school ratings and just general feel. Its better than Slough, lets say that

[@Thrill_Hou]

@@Kromiballthere’s a movie studio near there if that counts?

[@mauritsbutterworth3120]

I live in reading, the most notable feature recently about it is that we managed to have both of our football teams (men and women) relegated in the same season, also there's a very boring plaque that says something along the lines of: King Henry is buried here somewhere-ish (we think)

[@Demiglitch]

Was he playing for the men or women?

[@benz.]

It’s interesting to see Peel listed as a place with a Cathedral and is not a City. Peel is not in the UK, and is instead found in the Isle of Man. So it’s inclusion is interesting considering that Douglas (which was recently made a city for the platinum jubilee) was not in the map at the start of the video.

[@JayForeman]

Whoops! Very fair point. Peel shouldn’t have been there. Well spotted.

[@benz.]

@@JayForeman The title does say British, so I think it would count! 😂

[@seven7zip]

​@@benz.The Isle of Man isn't part of Great Britain either

[@benz.]

@@seven7zip You're right, but the Isle of Man is still 'British'. The Isle of Man, Jersey, and Guernsey, are 'Crown Dependencies' which are 'self-governing possessions of the British Crown'. In law, they are known as the 'British Islands'. Its citizens are British citizens, etc., etc. Essentially, British doesn't mean 'part of Great Britain'.

[@seven7zip]

@@benz. Yes, they're "British", but they aren't part of the UK, which is the point.

[@holnrew]

I assumed St David's was always a city because of the cathedral, but to find out it became one in my lifetime is making me doubt everything I ever thought I knew

[@Nikelaos_Khristianos]

Tbf, I’ve been caught out by the “It’s a city because of its church” thing multiple times since living in the UK. 😅

[@Tomwithnonumbers]

They simplified a bit - St Davids was a city for 600 years because of its cathedral and cultural importance in Wales. It lost its status in the 1800's and regained it in 1996.

[@sandersson2813]

I wish people would realise that having a cathedral doesn't make a place a city. It's related to civic charters and isn't remotely dependent on Cathedral presence

[@QuantumHistorian]

@@sandersson2813 Yes, we've seen the video too.

[@thespankmyfrank]

​@@sandersson2813 Did you not watch the video?

[@GodsAwayOnBusiness87]

I lost it at "bursting with factory workers" while panning across the picture of elementary school children.

[@bskibinski]

Glad i'm not alone!

[@dubspool]

The children yearn for the factory floor. You can’t blame them

[@Rutherford_Inchworm_III]

Listen, structural steel doesn't hammer itself. Little Billy can buy shoes with his first paycheck.

[@g3n3.777]

First time i’ve found you guys. This has part of the energy of horrible histories, but its its own universe. I love this so much. Subscribed in the first 20 seconds

[@thefurbeastunderyourbed5012]

I love love love the work you put into making all these little Easter eggs one would miss out on if not paused the video! The "Glossary" gave me quite a good laugh, so did the definition of Doncaster and the other town leaflets and the flying list towards the end.

[@morkryan8287]

This is the most at-ease I have ever seen Jay and Mark in a video (and the most British). They feel like a proper KZbin “institution” in their own right. Two old friends who have been in the “business” for (literally) decades continuing their great tv series.

[@HowardFingersTV]

I've always been interested in why Stoke-on-Trent, as a city, is actually 5 towns, of which Stoke is only 1 of the towns. And the official city centre is Hanley which is a different 1 of the 5 towns to Stoke which is not the city centre of Stoke-on-Trent

[@roderickmain9697]

Stoke-On-Trent is actually 6 towns. Fenton, Longton, Hanley, Burslem, Tunstall ...and Stoke-upon-Trent

[@fireaza]

I'd be more interested to know why someone thought "Stoke-on-Trent" is a sensible name for a city, rather than some kinda curse directed at a guy named Trent.

[@ShakeMilkyWay1]

so Stroke-on-Trent is 6Towns-on-Trenchcoat? where is the exit?

[@youngarkas4994]

I think one of us had a stroke, I just don't know jet who.

[@adrianthoroughgood1191]

​@@fireazaIt's because it's a town next to the river Trent. There's another town called stoke elsewhere in the country and on Trent clarifies which one you mean. There are also 2 Newcastles, one of which is Newcastle on Tyne. It's like how in the US there are lots of towns with the same name and you specify the State to differentiate, except we do it with rivers.

[@davidmorrissey5075]

In Ireland, Kilkenny was given the title of city in the medieval ages due to the fact it was where the national parliament met. It currently has a population of around 27k people and presently holds the city title for ceremonial and tourism purposes

[@paulketchupwitheverything767]

Brilliant, as always. Especially liked the typeface and colour you used for 'Salisbury', but there are so many clever little things in this video.

[@Minipipy]

As a resident of Reading, we are used to the constant tease of not being given City Status. I love how on the very last list, you listed all our neighbouring towns except us! Great episode!

[@oootoob]

Also, Reading is a shithole

[@doppelplusungutmensch1141]

Come to think about it, you have weird neighboring villages and towns. Playhatch, Wargrave, Three Mile Cross...

[@janegeland7596]

Indeed we are! And rather annoyed by the fact that we're still just a town ...

[@andyhoudini]

I spotted this too. Grew up in the Town of Reading, now I live in the City of Milton Keynes :) It used to be said that the statue of Queen Victoria in Reading faces the railway station because she hated the place so much.

[@tricksor6589]

Fucking Milton Keynes as if a worse shithole couldn't be given city status. What's next? Slough? @@andyhoudini

[@mylex817]

In case the Germany reference wasn't done on purpose: German city status is also fairly random, mostly based on historical claims to cityhood, that granted some political independence from the nobility.

[@randuru]

That's town status, not city. A city - or Großstadt - is quite clearly defined by a population of 100k within city limits.

[@PeterAuto1]

it's the first time I hear someone translating City as Großstadt instead of Stadt. I would have used major city as Großstadt. And town for Gemeinde.

[@DuskHorizon]

I refuse to accept that there isn't a properly written rule with three exceptions that everyone has to learn in school. And a very long word for it.

[@miri64]

​@@DuskHorizon How else should we get Lernlebensfreude?

[@mylex817]

@@randuru City is by far the more common translation for Stadt, and it's also more historical accurate, as the German Stadtrecht corresponds closely to English city status.

[@owenhennelly5267]

The little thing in the corner before the “ad break” was perfect. Chefs kiss

[@AeroLowdown]

Loved the little "ad break coming" stripe xD Great video as always, another this bit of knowledge about the UK's ways

[@shvelgud]

Honestly these two could write Monty python level sketches if that’s what they got into. Brilliant witty & funny writing. Everytime. Love these guys!

[@Prederick]

"In the majority of the world, where it's not Britain" is a line that happens in the first 30 seconds and is pure, undiluted Monty Python.

[@gui18bif]

The intermission is very pythonescque

[@arthurb6882]

I hate these Monty Python comments

[@Varksterable]

​​​@@arthurb6882Absolutely. I strongly disagree with them in both directions. They have almost _nothing_ in common stylistically. MP was Avant-garde, surreal. Mm is almost surgically constructed and highly educated. The only commonality is that (some people) find both very funny. And both use words. That's it.

[@Varksterable]

"could write Monty Python level sketches.." Hmm. I do wonder how much of Monty Python you have seen, outside the well worn classics? And also how much of the intricacies of Map Man you actually 'get'. To paraphrase OP; "Being thrown into the Panama canal is like drinking a glass of sparkling Perrier water." Because both are wet, right? I do agree with your closing remark, though. They are all brilliant writers, performers and comics. And _always_ top-notch entertainment. Heck; Map Men even make their sponsorship ads worth watching. I want to start another company up just to sponsor them and see what they come up with!

[@tscinsanity1402]

As someone born and raised in Northampton, the rage I felt when Milton Keynes became a city is unfathomable Edit: This isnt to say MK is underserving of being a city, in terms of population, economy, relevancy and future potential. its probably superior to Northampton but it feels wrong that they got it before us. Afterall they were only built a little over 50 years ago, paling in comparison to our roughly 1100 years of solid history. But if it comes down to the Monarchs choice i guess we're still reaping the rewards from turning against the crown a couple times. Having one of the worst councils in the country also doesnt help.

[@peterandhiscat]

I agree. Where is MiltonKeynesShire after all!!? I've previously lived in both places and am fond of both, but I do feel that Northampton is more deserving than MK .

[@jessicastrike5640]

Northampton has the Saints so if nothing else then this really should show we deserve to be a city

[@n1thmusic229]

I mean even though it’s literally barely more than 50 years old, it is larger than Northampton now so it seems about right

[@mygetawayart]

Queen must've seen something in Milton Keynes that literally no one else saw

[@Stealth360stealth]

I mean all the criteria mentioned aside, MK certainly feels like more of a city, with its vast and varying districts, quirky 60s features and excellent connectivity, all designed to be self sufficient. Its the fastest growing place in the UK, it certainly deserves city status. This is from someone who lives near Reading

[@amaelcoutaz7179]

Impressive work! I’m really glad that map men is back, it’s definitely a good way to keep in touch with my English skills. Cheers from Switzerland!

[@BunderChowed]

Right that's it, Im subscribing! The advert warning in the form rectangle of stripes made me do it.

[@darinfoat8410]

It always takes me approximately twice the running time to finish a Map Men episode, because I have to constantly pause and read all of the clever graphics.

[@AlkalineOrion]

Was hoping you'd mention the City of Llandaff. Llandaff has it's own cathedral (about 900 years old) and was given city status. But Llandaff is IN Cardiff, which is also a city. Which is in Wales, which is in the UK. So Llandaff has the peculiar status of being a city, in a city, in a country, in a country. (Llandaff's city status was never formally recognised by the modern UK government, however the welcome sign still reads "Welcome. City of Llandaff. City within a City)

[@donotforgetmycode]

The UK is in Europe, which is in Eurasia. So Llandaff is a city in a city in a country in a country in a continent in a continent.

[@AymanTravelTransport]

Llandaff's historic city status in kinda on the same boat with St Asaph and St Davids cos both were cities by virtue of their cathedrals, but never formally recognised by the modern post-1974 government (Bangor was the only historic cathedral city in Wales to have its city status formally recognised in 1974). Incidentally, St Davids did actually lose its city status in 1888 when they abolished the cathedral rule to allow Belfast and Birmingham (later most of the other industrial giants) to become cities, only for it to be reinstated over a century later.

[@garethaethwy]

@@AymanTravelTransport there's them what says that Cardiff only got it's city status because of Llandaff... Not sure how true that is mind...

[@TheCaptainSlappy]

one moment "...or Laws of England in their Natural Order, according to Common Use." (in four Books), Tommy Wood, 1724 **flips pages** ah yes, Book 1, Chapter 8, "Of Corporations or Bodies Politick"... **it was right here somewhere** "A Corporation is a Person in a Political Capacity created by the Law, and is a Body Politick fram'd by Policy or Fiction of Law to endure in perpetual Succession with Capacity to take and grant, to sue and be sued, & c. He who gives the first Possessions is the Founder of it, tho they are but of small Value. So that a common Person may be Founder, tho' the King shall afterwards endow it with great Possessions. It differs from a Franchise or Liberty, because they are Estates of Inheritance, and may be granted over from one to another." (More on Letters Patent as Company Charters later, with Gerard Malynes and Thomas Hobbes...or Lord Coke.) Okay so it says right there you can stack personal fictions as corporations, since corporations are personal fictions, using the Law of Transportation (Beyond the Seas) to stack Personae Cities-zens (denizens and inhabitants) on and in Cities, as long as Bocland Ledger Dominii is preserved in the Kings-Dome (Domes-Day Book)...as long as the royal company office (the royal we incorporated) does of course agree that it can be done and is not an unnatural impossible fiction since all fictions in pleadings are hereby abolished...yadda yadda... It's how they made a penal company called "Australia" in Britain, then set up the court system (probatio) with George 3 on the company books internally, then shipped the books (transported beyond seas) to Auscorp Prime along with convicts, while retaining "proprietorship and good graces, et al." in Britain. So technically, Australia was never a city or county or country, it was a probate court system run by an Admiral with a special charter commission by King George 3 (the absolute madman GENIUS!) to run "Auscorp Prison Industries".

[@AymanTravelTransport]

@@garethaethwy never heard of that claim before, but what is certain is that Cardiff was awarded city status in 1905 after it petitioned for it, irrespective of any cathedrals within its boundaries at the time.

[@jamesgillatt6810]

I was always curious about this topic as I am from Doncaster and can remember the town submitting multiple bids and not getting it despite much smaller places getting city status then Doncaster finally got it in 2022 for the platinum jubilee, good video and nice to know its because Britain does it's own thing lol

[@relampago5013]

Thank you for a well-researched, informative and entertaining video! I have no doubt that you have put a lot work into it. Thank you! 🙏

[@arch0051]

I am an American who was living in Reading in 1999 and 2000. I remember how pumped people were to gain city status and how no one could tell me why it was important. I also remember how disappointed everyone was when it did not get it. Seeing the list of new "cities" since then does make me wonder what Reading ever did to Elizabeth II? I happened to have liked it and would grant it city status in a heartbeat.

[@branbroken]

Passed over for city status not once but 4 times. Even has a king buried there. Probably just considered as bad neighbours from windsors pov.

[@RighteousReverendDynamite]

It has a stupid name that connotes a boring hobby done by lazy people who act soooo smart!

[@diazinth]

maybe books weren't her thing?

[@markiliff]

"Everyone"? Not by a long chalk. Unless you were talking mainly to royalists and local government panjandrums.

[@joshuarosen6242]

Reading is one of the dreariest places in England. It has no character at all compared to the vast majority of UK towns and has no right to be a city. I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed your time there but I bet you would have enjoyed most towns in England a lot more.

[@gregorbeyer4286]

I paused for the "important things the government has to deal with" list and literally the first thing I read was "Install giant anti-rain dome over UK" 😂 The Level of Detail you put into these Videos is just brilliant!

[@charolastra606]

the black and white animated thingy in the corner ITV used before ad breaks was a great touch :D

[@Pikachu0071000CS]

Long version's a bit hard to read at 3:10, so: '"Letters patent" is a fancy way of saying "a document that is officially issued by the Monarch." Like much UK law, what this technically means, and how this practically works in the real world, are different things. Technically, the Monarch can choose any town or village or motorway service station he likes, and bestow city status upon it. But practically, it's the government of the day who makes the decision, and then the final ceremonial stage is the bit where the Monarch signs a big piece of paper. Another important thing to note, is that even in the olden days, when the Monarch had genuine power, he wasn't actually turning places that were not cities into cities. He was merely making their already well established city status into official, monarchy-endorsed city status. If you've got time to pause the video and read this essay, you've got time to reply to that email.'

[@ussamam1]

Paused to read the pamphlets and I died laughing at the Doncaster one, the attention to detail in these videos is astounding

[@WyvernYT]

"And Hove!"

[@TravelSignal]

Make Tesco's sell Golden Grahams again!

[@casualonion]

That ugly flyover is my reminder to brace myself for having to change trains at Donny.

[@DSAhmed]

Bloody, he's right. I do have time to reply to that email.

[@Braddowski]

Medway forgot to reapply for city status because they were in the middle of a court case with Kent County Council over the correct reallocation of rescources. It got so petty that they asked for 1/3 of a minibus.

[@pyromanic8]

That's the Britain I know and love

[@draftsmann]

Medway was never a city. The ancient city of Rochester was, until its incompetent council screwed up and lost its status.

[@SportyMabamba]

@@pyromanic8Glorious

[@TomDestry]

Front, middle or back?

[@paulkurilecz4209]

@@TomDestry left side, middle down the length, or right side? Or, top third, middle third or bottom third?

[@EndlessNameless5]

The dictionary at 2:45 is one of the reasons that I love Map men videos. Great one! The text at 3:10 made me feel bad, because I really DO have e-mails to reply...

[@josephm3966]

There's a suburb in Cardiff called Llandaff which claim themselves as a city within a city. They even have a sign saying 'welcome to the city of llandaff,' yes they have their own Cathedral but technically it isn't a city!

[@francescogiovannizollo2989]

Fun fact. In Italy, we use a system similar to the British one: the title of city is granted to municipalities that have been awarded it by decree of the King of Italy (until 1946), or of the President of the Italian Republic (after 1948), by virtue of their historical, artistic, civic or demographic importance. Some cities even boast of the title by virtue of legislative acts of the pre-unification Italian states (pre 1861), or they do so due to very ancient and uninterrupted custom: in some cases, titles granted by pre-unification states have been ratified with norms of the Italian Republic; in other cases, the right to city status is instead sanctioned only by pre-unification deeds, technically not being even addressed by modern Italian legislation!

[@JohnyG29]

They do seem quite ignorant on how countries outside their own operate, usually defaulting to some bland statement that everything is better elsewhere.

[@wiegraf9009]

@@JohnyG29to be fair it usually is. But in this case, no!

[@Hobbyrepubliken]

Sweden used a similar system until Säffle got City status. Then we stopped. Anyone who has been to Säffle understands why.

[@slyasleep]

Grazie for this municipo-political insight

[@Piridinio]

In Italy nobody cares about the official status of a city. My city has a thousand-year history behind it, it has been capital of an empire and capital of several barbarian kingdoms. And that is only for the first thousand years of its history So how can the official status of city give by the monarch really matter?

[@El-mq4bj]

I'm from Reading although moved away as an adult! Our theory as to why we never got city status was always general monarch dislike. Local legend was that Queen Victoria also hated Reading, based on the fact her statue in town faces away from the main town, towards the train station. If you look at the facts, yeah, it's a Saxon town, been there over 1000 years, has an abbey that was destroyed by Henry VIII, is mentioned in accounts of the English Civil War, has the prison where Oscar Wilde was locked up, a university that's fairly highly regarded (in some very niche areas anyway) and a decent amount of industry. There's even a Banksy now, so it's gotta happen soon right? Right???

[@markiliff]

"it's gotta happen soon" ↑ Oy! Stop trying to spend my council taxes on fawning to the monarch

[@75oharas]

I always though it was so it doesnt overshadow Windsor in prestege. Though they do like to misrepresent the population a bit by quoting the Reading Urban Area (233k ish) rather than actual Reading (174k ish) so while it is still a big town they still like to cheat a bit. (And theres otehr wierdness like i live in Lower Early 2 miles from reading centre but i am technically part of wokingham (7 miles away)

[@jorriffhdhtrsegg]

As someone from Reading, my theory is its because Reading is shite and lack enough culture to be a city, but rather a commuter base for people working in london. Plus, quite possibly the overinflated population figures due to being an ever-growing amoeba of suburbia and towns that are actually outside of Reading.

[@jorriffhdhtrsegg]

​@@75oharasyeh, its cheating with the population. I believe they extended to nearby town of wokingham to include that which i would never say was reading. Centrally, its not small yet not really anything in comparison to actual cities. I mean, Bath or Oxford are smaller but internally seem to have features of being a city somehow...because in many ways are more facilitated centrally. There is a lot of large suburbs that could be (and probably are..) towns in their own right and are attached, so maybe that gives it cause for being a city? Or does it give it less cause by just having filled in gaps with stuff without necessarily doing much city-like facility? It does have a laarge red-brick university so perhaps.

[@willholland1697]

"in some very niche areas" - is maths considered niche?

[@mary.ermachenko]

Mark and Jay never get old! Have just been watching all the episodes from Season 1 etc, they look the same as young as six years ago

[@peenixtrite]

Number 71 is such a pressing issue, honestly. I'm surprised it isn't number one on the list!

[@captainchaos3667]

Fascinating and very British indeed. We have a similarly quaint system in the Netherlands. Cities were allowed to raise taxes, but in return they had to protect the population, so only towns with defensive fortifications were given city status. Resulting in lots of cities that are still very small by modern standards, and some big towns that aren't cities, like The Hague.

[@highpath4776]

wasnt The Hague created to stop Amsterdam and Rotterdam fighting for who had the right to be capitol of the neatherlands?

[@cecasander]

@@highpath4776No, you're thinking of Brasilia.

[@TCA17]

​​@@cecasanderno, he's thinking of Canberra. Brasília was not built to stop any dispute.

[@klaxoncow]

@@TCA17 No, I'm pretty sure he's thinking of how Washington D.C. isn't part of any state.

[@adamcashin4021]

@@highpath4776 Technically Amsterdam is the capital. The Hague is just the seat of Government. I have no idea how the seat of Government isn't automatically the capital (other than in the event of a short term relocation).

[@joyrowancasey788]

The number of random references to british media institutions in these videos makes me immensely happy. Love a good episode of University Challenge

[@josephkarl2061]

I was just about to watch the latest episode 😂

[@itxi]

Plus the little code in the top right before the advertisements

[@DefiantAML]

the little bar in the top right corner, right before the adverts, genius. used to see it all the time growing up.

[@lassebong3902]

Had to smile at the reference to Germany in the end. There may well be a size-regulation nowadays which can be revoked again, but there are quite many cities around here with "historic city right" which stays in place, even if the population is negligible. Similar to Britain, the right was granted by a souvereign and usually entailed such additional rights as holding a market or building a wall and taking tolls. Anyway, I discovered MapMen last week and I'm hooked. Well done!

[@pineapplegamer6986]

Love watching map men so well produced and I can’t believe you guys go through the effort to put all those small jokes and Easter eggs in single frames but they’re always a little treat

[@Malforian]

the black and white corner thing before a break got me

[@derrickthewhite1]

The list of things for the government to do first is hilarious. "make google pay taxes"

[@Nooticus]

legends

[@hux2000]

Beatles reference in the Blackburn city bid (4,000 holes).

[@danielgwillim8220]

How Southend-on-Sea gained it's city status last year is extremely interesting. Our MP David Amess campaigned for his entire career to become a city but never succeeded. He was assassinated 2 years ago while meeting constituents and his wish was granted posthumously as a mark of respect.

[@waspsandwich6548]

why are political assassinations so common in the UK??

[@bruhngl]

​​​@@waspsandwich6548they aren't. Aside from David Amess, the last one was in 2016 and before that it was 1990. That's not exactly common.

[@Ealsante]

@@bruhngl 3 in about 3 decades, and 6 in 45 years, is actually very frequent.

[@adrianaspalinky1986]

Jo Cox.

[@cacamilis8477]

​@@bruhnglit's surprisingly more common per capita than many other similar countries in the past few decades, but by and large historically speaking? It's fine... I guess.. probably. ?

[@samx2222]

lol loved the queue dot to signify advert break was coming up!

[@stockportlad8560]

In Stockport, we're kind of the Reading of the North, every time it comes around to City bidding time again there is always a lot of local talk about it given the historical landmarks (Stockport Viaduct, start of the Mersey, McVities - all the big important things), the size of the town with a population of between 250-300k and the size of the area it covers being almost as big as Manchester but I don't think it will ever happen (not that I particularly care either way) because of it's very close proximity to Manchester and being less than an hour from other cities such as Leeds, Sheffield, Salford and Liverpool.

[@charlottepatey79]

Thanks, from Reading. I don't think many of us here feel particularly aggrieved the Queen turned us down three times, more bemused. We were more upset when the council wanted to rename us Reading-On-Thames (something to do with search engines getting confused with the word reading). Also, very interesting to hear that Greater London isn’t a city. When I was a kid in 1987 we moved to Reading from London and my parents have always referred to visiting London as “going to town” and only referred to it as a city when they meant the very centre (Westminster). Goin into Reading town centre was always just “going to the centre”.

[@aodhanmonaghan1268]

City status is granted to a council (a legal corporation. In the 1960s they expanded the County of London to include parts of Essex, Kent, Surrey, Hertfordshire and almost all of Middlesex. London County Council never had city status, as that was held by the City of London Council (the Square Mile). Essentially, places like Southall, Croydon etc are towns, that at some point were in the same county as the City of Westminster, and so were towns of the COUNTY of London, not the City of London, which was not in the County of London. Greater London no longer exists, so now we just have a bunch of towns that are part of "London Boroughs". A Borough Council or Town Council is renamed a City Council if it gets status. Like Southend-on-Sea Borough Council is now Southend-on-Sea City Council. Today only City of Westminster and City of London have City status. The rest of the boroughs are just collections of towns, villages and housing estates

[@JordanMel]

this is so interesting

[@LRC92]

@@aodhanmonaghan1268 If there's no council, a city status can be granted to a charter trustee, Carlisle for example. Greater London still exists as both a county, region and administrative area (Greater London Authority).

[@msinclair8261]

You can change the name of Reading but my satnav will always pronounce it 'reading'.....

[@tatianapreobrazhenskaya9777]

It's also peculiar that British monarch cannot enter the City of London without permission. From whom and how, go look up.

[@SnabbKassa]

Yes, but when youtubers incorrectly call small places "a town" we get to correct them in the comments, pretend we live there, and act offended, which is fun! And listing Derry as a UK city, as a monarch presumably once did just can't be argued with or cause any problems. jk

[@jayplay8140]

at least they spelled Derry correctly, meaning Map Men have won the internet today

[@drunkenhobo8020]

@@jayplay8140 I thought it was spelled Londonderry. With a massive emphasis on the London?

[@CloroxBleach-cq7tj]

​@@drunkenhobo8020cos it is

[@xxDEAGORxx]

@@drunkenhobo8020 Only word in the English Language with 6 silent letters

[@Bracketmeister]

Oh no, it's happening again! Someone get the Good Friday Agreement in here!

[@AdmiralTymothysLootChest]

3:10 ""Letters patent" is a fancy way of saying "a document that is officially issued by the Monarch." Like much UK law, what this technically means, an dhow this practically works in the real world, are different things. Technically, the Monarch can chose any town or village or motorway services station he likes, and bestow city status upon it. But practically, it's the government of the day who makes the decision, and then the final ceremonial stage is the bit where the Monarch signs a big piece of paper. Another important thing to note, is that even in the olden days, when the Monarch had genuine power, he wasn't actually turning places that were not cities into cities. He was merely making their already well established city status into official, monarchy-endorsed city status. If you've got time to pause this video and read this essay, you've got time to reply to that email."

[@dfxl6587]

When I went to school in the 1960’s in history 101 it was described thus: Hamlet - collection of houses but has no church. Village - collection of houses with a church. Town - holds the right to hold a weekly market by charter. City - has a Cathedral. This was always correct, that is until the Great in Great Britain ceased to have a meaning.

[@pedanticradiator1491]

The link between cities and cathedrals was broken in the 19th century, your history class was wrong

[@HawaiianShirtGuy]

London not technically being the capital city reminds me of my hometown of Douglas, which serves as the capital city of the Isle of Man but didn't actually become a city until 2022!

[@marmac83]

Hands up for who cares?

[@remonmasselink5748]

@@marmac83

[@marmac83]

liar@@remonmasselink5748

[@sapphiremmx4772]

​@@marmac83✋

[@InfiniteDeckhand]

@@marmac83 Lol, ratioed.

[@DenisovichDev]

Reading the list of things that government should worry about was the most hilarious experience that I had today

[@PJWey]

Reading, or Reading? Given the video 😂

[@DenisovichDev]

@@PJWey I don't know why I laughed at that!!

[@juanpablosaenz9037]

I think make Reading a city did not make the list... Am I wrong?

[@DenisovichDev]

@@juanpablosaenz9037 indeed it did not. Somehow make Neil Buchanan a knight did. Which I think is absolutely necessary.

[@joshguest1104]

Unironically a great manifesto for a progressive party 😂

[@KILLER.KNIGHT]

2:11 Let’s nit forget Daventry. 🤣

[@johanmetreus1268]

Sweden has a similar peculiarity. Here, a city is defined as having received the city rights from the crown, i.e. the monarch. Problem is that the monarch was removed from anything but ceremonial duties in 1975, and already before then was pretty much out of the whole ruling business, so no new cities in a fair while... and before that, the criteria was that the town either deserved to be a city, or that the crown decided a city was needed in the area and thus appointed the nearest village as now a city.

[@chrisassemble1282]

To be fair to the queen, Reading did almost kill her when one of the escalators at the newly refurbished station collapsed only shortly after she rode it at the opening ceremony. I'm not sure I would grant it city status after that either.

[@honkstheclown8631]

Yeah! I'd only grant city status to a town that could *actually* kill me. Finish the job if you want to be a city, coward.

[@johnwood6750]

A Cathedral is a church that contains the throne of a bishop. Cathedra = latin for seat or throne. Also "Satellite map animations PEADAR DONNELLY" probably explains why it was Derry on the map and not Londonderry. Thanks Peadar :)

[@haarith127]

Thanks Father

[@matthiasman]

Oh my god, the ad break black/white in the top right corner… that was a hit of nostalgia.

[@UnknownMari]

Is that a whacky wheels song at the end? 😆 Always love watching Map Men videos! 😁

[@ClearlyPixelated]

That handshake for Jay after sticking the landing for "cathed-rules" was well appointed! I couldn't agree more! One of your finest.

[@jonevansauthor]

That was definitely sharp. Cathedral City sharp. (For those outside the UK, Cathedral City is a brand of less than good cheddar, sharp is a word used to describe cheddar that cheddar purists would probably be just as offended by as the concept of extra mature cheddar)

[@crikeymiles]

(For those outside the UK, “extra mature cheddar” can also refer to an unexpectedly attractive pensioner.)

[@TeagueChrystie]

This series fills me with so much joy. Please never stop.

[@eastportland]

Did you see #101 on the to-do list? 10:20

[@ChaosPootato]

Every second of this is gold, thank you both

[@tpresto9862]

The terminology varies in the U.S. by state. I live in Pennsylvania where there are generally three kinds of self-governing municipal areas: cities, boroughs, and townships. Cities and boroughs are similar in population density, but cities are larger and more populous. That is, a borough is just a little city. A township is usually more rural/suburban, larger than a borough, and less densely populated than a city or borough. Pennsylvania has towns and villages, but those terms usually have no official meaning. Towns and villages are usually small areas of maybe a little higher density within a township that fall under the township government. There is one actual incorporated "town" in Pennsylvania, and that's the town of Bloomsburg (but that may as well be a borough).

[@diofernic]

10:31 Germany is actually really inconsistent with city status. The city of Arnis in Schleswig-Holstein only has around 300 people, and there are in total 11 cities with less than 1000 inhabitants throughout the country

[@menoflowicz]

Just like Poland! Here, technically speaking settlement may be either "miasto" (city) or "wieś" (village). There are no towns in legal language. Well, we have word "miasteczko" (literary a diminutive for miasto), but is used only colloquially and there is no real consensus what it means. Therefore smallest Polish city has 300 (sic!) inhabitants, whereas biggest village has 12.000. BTW it is also mostly a status thing - city does not have any special powers - these are held by "gmina" (community), which may consist of only one city, city and surrounding villages, few cities and surrounding villages or no cities at all. The only legal differences are probably in agricultural law, with some privileges for villages.

[@joshuasanderson7359]

I came to the comments because I figured that they picked Germany in jest. Thank you for the confirmation

[@Hoihaufen]

but at the same time we have fixed numbers for different levels of cities. there is no city under 5k unless it fulfils a central role in the region.

[@henningbartels6245]

In my opinion Arnis is a town - not a city.

[@KasabianFan44]

@@menoflowicz I have heard an argument that Poland _does_ make a distinction between a town and a city - they just call them both _miasto_ anyway for some reason. The argument is that “towns” have a mayor, and “cities” have a president. But while it is true that the mayor-president distinction exists in Poland, whether this is equivalent to the town-city distinction is debatable. It certainly isn’t as much of a status symbol as in the UK!

[@Zergboy2]

As someone who's lived in Reading for 18 years, I understand why the Queen hated Reading...

[@koiyune]

she hates words

[@mattykeel8521]

been here for 19 years and I agree. but hey, we’re getting mentioned on KZbin!

[@54Immortal]

5:27 Omg I haven't seen that little thingy in the top right corner, signifying an upcoming advertisement break, in such a long time.

[@FistOfFiori]

5:27 , ah that little friend in the top-right, a helpful sign back in the 80s/90s that, yes, it is indeed nearly a time to go for a pee break or go refresh your glass!

[@mstout_]

I live in Reading and not being a city is all we've ever talked about.

[@DuskHorizon]

Great train links though.

[@user-sd3ik9rt6d]

But we must be a city, we got an Banksy

[@radiofreedom7840]

"Good morning, how are you doing?"' "I can't believe we're not a city! Like... how?"

[@MontyComedyOfficial]

Northampton resident here: Similar fair!

[@ASocialistTransGirl]

10:14 that list of things for the government to do is amazing

[@thomasawl]

I totally agree with the ‘Stop psychopaths from becoming CEOs’ and the ‘Change X back to Twitter’.

[@ASocialistTransGirl]

@@thomasawl I feel like all of the actual policy proposals are really agreeable

[@KingCrafter999]

Based❤

[@DasTubemeister]

I’ve passed through places named a city in the USA, that consist of a trailer park, a gas station, and burger joint.

[@mohammadsattar5488]

Love the humour here. Born and bred in Dewsbury and grew up on all the classics of TV from Monty, some mothers do have em, brookside, Hale and Pace ....there are honestly too many too mention and these guys are a great combination of some brilliant oldies.

[@scottmairs9014]

As someone from Lisburn, the Portuguese border force personnel had a right old chuckle at my passport last year 😂

[@TheGiantKillers]

Yep. Lisburn people are very welcome in Portugal. Ronaldo should visit Lisburn.

[@robeldridge5668]

The rewatchability of map men videos is objectively greater than that of most modern blockbusters.

[@joebramley3309]

The editing for this is mint

[@Tele.gram.me.thejayforeman]

ʜɪᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴜᴘ,!🎉

[@rcexplores5331]

cracking job with an entire two pages of amusing definitions just to be onscreen for a handful of seconds. love those little details

[@MrFleit]

As a german I can confirm that we have a strict set of rules by which we promote a bunch of houses to a city! It's something like: if it's a city, it's a city...

[@pdruiz2005]

You Germans also got rid of all the crazy little borders you had during German Empire times. Kings for Bavaria and Hanover, Prussian borders all over the place, with exclaves here and enclaves there. Made the county map of England look like a piece of rationality and logic. Thank God certain, ahem, ***events*** transpired to rationalize German maps. Huzzah!

[@tancreddehauteville764]

If it was bombed by the RAF from 1940 to 1945 then it's a city!!

[@chcucivtxzclccucifudohzfu6766]

In Germany the term „Stadt“ (city) doesn’t mean anything but that the place once was awarded the right to call themself city. All that counts is the municipality as that’s the important unit. So some municipalities are allowed to call themselves city, others can call themselves market (as they had the right to host a market) but it all has no real value other than bragging rights.

[@countcain]

I mean at least we TRIED to rationalise the rules by adding the rule of number of inhabitants to the existing rules. So basically now there is three ways to become a city in Germany. Why...

[@timowagner1329]

@@chcucivtxzclccucifudohzfu6766 and the bragging rights are meager at best. Though is has the nice side effect (at least in Hesse) that the city governement/ the local council can call themselves "Magistrat". But it is just as vague as you said, though there will be a ministerial guidline somewhere that makes the rule more concrete.

[@WuffiePhoenix]

The amount of detail on that page of definitions is extraordinary, great job! "Beef Jerky: doesn't start with M, shouldn't be on this list" and the sneaky merch promo are my favourites.

[@IrtazaRehman]

Yeah, don't know why people are not talking about it.

[@ZER0ZER0SE7EN]

Mexico is not happy. No bueno.

[@c.5095]

As someone from reading, I’m simultaneously offended for my town not being a city and not at the same time

[@OfMoachAndMayhem]

@3:40 - do I get extra nerd creds by spotting the churches from SimCity 2000? XD

[@JayForeman]

Yep! 🏆

[@_callewaert]

8:47 We definitely need exactly that "long story" why Northern Ireland has a "No flag, long story" flag

[@PlatinumAltaria]

Northern Ireland is just the chunk of the island of Ireland that's part of the United Kingdom. St. Patrick's Saltire originally represented Ireland as part of the UK, then the Republic left and had its own flag, so technically that's still the flag of Ireland, but it was never official as a separate emblem. The previous Northern Irish government had a flag called the Ulster Banner, but that government got abolished and reformed, now with no flag.

[@DylanSargesson]

CGP Grey has a good video on it "No Flag Northern Ireland"

[@ZaneLikesCheese]

The episode hasn't even started yet and I'm already rolling round laughing 😂 Edit:I'm now rolling round laughing at the Nark typo 🤣

[@Kkplayzoffical]

@DontReadMyProfilePicture.57Hi bot

[@SudberyClare]

You two are very funny! And your wordplay is excellent. I enjoyed this.