Introduction
Anne Valerie Tempest (born 22 August 1959), known as Annie Tempest, is a British artist, sculptor and cartoonist initially known for her cartoon strip The Yuppies which ran for seven years in the Daily Mail, and now for her strip Tottering-by-Gently which has appeared in Country Life magazine since 1993.
Family
Tempest was born the second of five children. Her father Henry was the second son of the Tempests of Broughton Hall, and she was born in Zambia. When she was two, her family came back to England. In 1970, her father inherited the Broughton Hall estate in Yorkshire from his brother, and she draws on her memories of Broughton Hall in the Tottering By Gently comic strip. She has also said that Lord Tottering is modelled on her father Henry, and Lady Tottering is partly modelled on herself. The 3,000 acre Broughton Hall estate is now run by her brother Roger, who is the oldest son of her father.
Annie Tempest married the composer James McConnel in 1991; they had a son (Freddy) and a daughter (Daisy). They divorced in 2006. Both her children feature in the Tottering-by-Gently comic strip as grandchildren of Lord and Lady Tottering. Freddy died of a heroin overdose in 2011 at the age of 18, and Annie Tempest has said that she intends to retain him in the comic strip, but that he will remain 18.
Work
Her cartoon strip The Yuppies, which ran for seven years in the Daily Mail, led to her being recognized by The Cartoonists' Club of Great Britain as "Strip Cartoonist of the year".
Tottering-by-Gently prints, books and products are sold throughout the UK and she has had a number of exhibitions in the UK and abroad.
In 2009, the Cartoon Art Trust awarded Tempest the Pont Award for her portrayal of the British character.