Map Men

Premise

Jay Foreman and Mark Cooper-Jones are the creators, writers, and presenters of the series. Cooper-Jones previously worked as a geography teacher, and the two first crossed paths while performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe around 2009 or 2010. The show launched in 2016 on the Map Men YouTube channel, which was originally called Jay Foreman and later Jay and Mark. It has run for five series, plus specials focused on Geoguessr and Ordnance Survey.

Each episode blends comedy with geography, tackling a brief geographical question that usually involves maps. The humor has drawn comparisons to Horrible Histories, while the duo cite Monty Python as an influence. Their videos rely on deadpan delivery, quick visual jokes, and short comic sketches. The name "Map Men" was Cooper-Jones’s pun on the American drama "Mad Men."

Foreman and Cooper-Jones believe the show’s appeal comes from maps becoming less common in daily life, which makes them feel more niche and geeky. They also credit the channel’s growth to its unusual combination of comedy and geography. In 2021, the series earned a Streamy Award nomination in the learning and education category, but lost to Veritasium. Three years later, in 2024, a shortened version of their video on why certain British place names are tricky to pronounce won Video of the Year at the first UK and Ireland TikTok Awards. In October 2025, the pair published a book titled This Way Up: When Maps Go Wrong (And Why It Matters).