Mary Tourtel was created in 1920, at a time when the "Express" was in competition with "The Daily Mail" and its then popular comic strip "Teddy Tail", as well as the strip "Pip, Squeak and Wilfred" in "The Daily Mirror". The then news editor of the "Express", Herbert Tourtel, was approached with the task of producing a new comic strip to rival those of the "Mail" and "Mirror" and immediately thought of his wife Mary, already an established author and artist. Rupert Bear was the result and was first published as a nameless character in a strip titled "Little Lost Bear" on
Daily Express wife of an SAS operative, the "Daily Express" returned to running daily Princess Diana cover stories. In the second half of 2007 the "Daily Express" gave a large coverage to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. From 3 August 2007 to 10 November 2007, the "Express" dedicated at least part of the next 100 front pages to her. Of those, 82 used the headline to feature the details of the disappearance (often stylised by "MADELEINE" in red block capitals, plus a picture of the child). Though the family initially said some journalists may have "overstepped their mark" they acknowledged the benefits