{{short description|British pocket cartoonist}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} '''Matthew Pritchett''' MBE (born 14 July 1964)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://research.kent.ac.uk/british-cartoon-archive/record/matthew-pritchett-matt/ |title=Matthew Pritchett (Matt) |website=British Cartoon Archive |publisher=University of Kent |access-date=21 December 2025 }}</ref> is a British cartoonist who has worked on ''The Daily Telegraph'' newspaper under the pen name '''Matt''' since 1988.
==Early life and education== Pritchett's father Oliver Pritchett was a columnist for ''The Daily Telegraph'' for several decades;<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pritchett |first1=Oliver |title=Life as a Sunday Telegraph journalist was full of historic - and bizarre - moments |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2018/12/16/life-sunday-telegraph-journalist-full-historic-bizarre-moments/ |accessdate=9 April 2020 |work=The Telegraph |date=16 December 2018}}</ref> his paternal grandfather was the writer V. S. Pritchett.<ref name=DavidsonOct2008>{{cite news |last1=Davidson |first1=Max |title=Cartoonist Matt makes his mark with a gentle touch |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/cartoons/3211497/Cartoonist-Matt-makes-his-mark-with-a-gentle-touch.html |accessdate=9 April 2020 |work=The Telegraph |date=16 October 2008 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100719171305/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/cartoons/3211497/Cartoonist-Matt-makes-his-mark-with-a-gentle-touch.html |archivedate=19 July 2010}}</ref><ref name=Family/> The screenwriter Georgia Pritchett is his sister.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Helen |date=1 August 2021 |title='He pretended to be a robot, then tried to kill me': growing up with cartoonist Matt |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/pretended-robot-tried-kill-growing-cartoonist-matt/ |access-date=21 October 2022 |website=The Telegraph}}</ref>
Pritchett attended a grammar school in south-east London before studying graphics at Saint Martin's School of Art. He started working as a waiter in a pizza restaurant, while drawing cartoons in his spare time. His first cartoon was published in the ''New Statesman'', and he then started drawing cartoons for ''The Daily Telegraph'' diary.<ref name=DavidsonOct2008/> He had considered becoming a film-cameraman, but gave up after realising he had misunderstood the role.<ref name=BurrellNov2005/>
==Career== Following the death of Mark Boxer in 1988, Pritchett was hired by Max Hastings to be ''The Daily Telegraph''{{'}}s new pocket cartoonist.<ref name=DavidsonOct2008/> His first cartoon in this role came the day after the newspaper was printed with a date error, leading them to make a front-page apology; the cartoon caption was, "I hope I have a better Thursday than I did yesterday."<ref name=BurrellNov2005>{{cite news |last1=Burrell |first1=Ian |title=Matt Pritchett: The Telegraph cartoonist gets top honour |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/matt-pritchett-the-telegraph-cartoonist-gets-top-honour-516282.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080424060558/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/matt-pritchett-the-telegraph-cartoonist-gets-top-honour-516282.html |archive-date=24 April 2008 |url-status=live |accessdate=9 April 2020 |work=The Independent |date=21 November 2005 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-telegraph/159797516/ |title=A newspaper ahead of its time |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=25 February 1988 |page=1 |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=26 November 2024 }}</ref> His work has also been published in ''Punch''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Matt Cartoons (Matthew Pritchett) |website=Punch Magazine Cartoon Archive |url=https://punch.photoshelter.com/gallery/Matt-Cartoons-Matthew-Pritchett/G0000QvYNU61sSTA/ |date=10 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929141517/https://punch.photoshelter.com/gallery/Matt-Cartoons-Matthew-Pritchett/G0000QvYNU61sSTA/ |archive-date=29 September 2020 |accessdate=9 April 2020}}</ref>
==Honours== Pritchett won the British Press Awards' "Cartoonist of the Year" in 2000,<ref>{{cite news |title=Legendary editor wins life award |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/mar/22/2 |accessdate=9 April 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=22 March 2000 }}</ref> 2008,<ref>{{cite news |title=British Press Awards 2008 - full list of winners |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/apr/09/pressandpublishing1 |accessdate=9 April 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=9 April 2008}}</ref> 2009,<ref>{{cite news |title=British Press Awards 2009: full list of winners |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/apr/01/british-press-awards-winners |accessdate=9 April 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=1 April 2009}}</ref> and 2019,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Davies |first1=Gareth |title=Telegraph wins Website of the Year at British Press Awards - one of 11 accolades |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/04/03/telegraph-wins-website-year-british-press-awards-one-11-accolades/ |accessdate=9 April 2020 |work=The Telegraph |date=3 April 2020}}</ref> and has been a nominee many other times.<ref>{{cite news |title=British Press Awards |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/mar/19/pressandpublishing3 |accessdate=9 April 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=19 March 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Press Awards for 2012 – winners |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/mar/08/press-awards-2013-winners |accessdate=9 April 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=8 March 2013}}</ref> He won "The Journalists' Charity Award" at the 2014 Press Awards.<ref>{{cite news |title=Press awards: Everyday Sexism founder wins Georgina Henry prize |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/11/press-awards-everyday-sexism-founder-georgina-henry-prize-times |accessdate=9 April 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=11 March 2015}}</ref>
He was appointed an MBE in the 2002 New Year Honours "for services to Journalism",<ref>{{cite news |title=MBEs N - R |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/uk/2002/new_year_honours/1730267.stm |access-date=9 April 2020 |work=BBC News |date=31 December 2001}}</ref> and in 2005, ''Press Gazette'' inducted him into their Hall of Fame as one of the 40 most influential journalists of the past four decades.<ref name=BurrellNov2005 /><ref>{{cite news |last1=Gibson |first1=Owen |title=Newspaper panel picks its top 40 - from agony aunts to war reporters |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2005/nov/22/pressandpublishing.uknews |accessdate=9 April 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=22 November 2005 }}</ref>
==Personal life== Pritchett is married to Pascale Smets, a Belgian former fashion designer. They met whilst studying at Saint Martin's, and have three daughters and a son together, including ''The Guardian'' cartoonist Edith Pritchett.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pownall |first1=Elfreda |title=At the table for a Telegraph family feast with Pascale Smets and cartoonist Matt |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/features/table-telegraph-family-feast-pascale-smets-cartoonist-matt/ |accessdate=9 April 2020 |work=The Telegraph |date=31 August 2019}}</ref> His wife's sister, Benedicte, is married to Martin Newland, a former editor of ''The Daily Telegraph''.<ref name=DavidsonOct2008/><ref name=Family>{{cite news |first1=Joy |last1=Lodico |first2=Ian |last2=Burrell |title=Media: A Family Business |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/media-a-family-business-15192.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131127083519/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/media-a-family-business-15192.html |archive-date=27 November 2013 |url-status=live |accessdate=9 April 2020 |work=The Independent |date=17 January 2005 |language=en}}</ref>
==Published works== *{{cite book |title=The Best of Matt, 2004 |date=2004 |publisher=Orion}}<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sabin |first1=Roger |title=68,647 ways to make you laugh |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/dec/12/bestbooksoftheyear.bestbooks |accessdate=9 April 2020 |work=The Observer |date=12 December 2004}}</ref> *{{cite book |title=Matt - The Best of 2008 |date=2008 |publisher=Orion}}<ref name=DavidsonOct2008/>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/matt/ Telegraph cartoons] * [https://research.kent.ac.uk/british-cartoon-archive/record/matthew-pritchett-matt/ Biography at the British Cartoon Archive]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pritchett, Matt}} Category:1964 births Category:British comedians Category:Living people Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire Category:Punch (magazine) cartoonists Category:Alumni of Saint Martin's School of Art Category:British editorial cartoonists