Joey Batey

{{Infobox person

| name = Joey Batey

| image = Joey Batey.png

| caption = Joey Batey in December 2019

| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1989}}

| birth_place = Newcastle upon Tyne, England

| education = Robinson College, Cambridge
L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq

| occupation = Actor, musician

| years_active = 2008–present

}}

Joey Batey (born 1989) is an English actor, musician, singer, and songwriter. He portrays the bard Jaskier in the fantasy series The Witcher, where he sang "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher", as well as other songs featured in the series.

Early life and education

Joey Batey was born in Newcastle upon Tyne.{{cite web |url=https://www.newcastleworld.com/lifestyle/famous-people-who-went-to-school-in-newcastle-3779251?page=2 |title=10 famous faces that went to school in Newcastle |last=Mundey |first=Simi |work=Newcastle World |date=26 July 2022}} He has said he grew up in a "musical family" and has always been around music.{{cite podcast |last=Finger |first=Bobby |date=25 February 2020 |title=The Witcher (ft. Joey Batey) |work=I'm Obsessed With This |location=Los Gatos, California |publisher=Netflix |url=https://im-obsessed-with-this.simplecast.com/episodes/the-witcher-ft-joey-batey-5wnSyzzg |access-date=12 March 2020 }} He studied at Robinson College, Cambridge and {{lang|fr|L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq|italic=no}}.{{cite web |title=Joey Batey CV |url=https://www.spotlight.com/3015-1274-7282 |website=Spotlight |access-date=5 April 2022}} Whilst at Cambridge, he co-wrote and performed the comedic sketch show Good Clean Men with Alex Owen, Ben Ashenden and others.{{Cite web |date=3 November 2009 |title=The Fletcher Players Society presents… Good Clean Men by Ashenden/Bannister/Batey/Fiddaman/Haines/Owen |work=CAMDRAM.net |url=https://www.camdram.net/shows/2009-good-clean-men |access-date=25 January 2022 }}{{Cite news |url=https://issuu.com/varsity/docs/issue705 |title=Good. Clean. Men. |last=Reynolds |first=George |date=6 November 2009 |newspaper=Varsity |language=en-GB |access-date=2020-06-16 }}

Career

Batey's film debut was in the 2013 British thriller, Murder on the Home Front, directed by Geoffrey Sax.{{cite web | author = BFI Staff | title = Murder on the Home Front [09/05/2013] |website = BFI.org.uk | url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/51804206a746f | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128195239/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/51804206a746f | url-status=dead | archive-date=28 November 2020 | date=2 January 2022}} In 2014, he appeared in The Riot Club directed by Lone Scherfig.{{cite web |title=The Riot Club (2014) |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/53335fccabd75 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808042251/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/53335fccabd75 |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 August 2017 |website=bfi.org.uk |access-date=2 January 2022}} In 2017, Paul McGuigan cast him as Eddie in Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool.{{cite web |title=Joey Batey |url=https://www.metacritic.com/person/joey-batey |website=metacritic.com |date=27 May 2016 |access-date=2 January 2022}} Batey also played in the British TV series Strike (2017),{{cite web |title=BBC One - Strike, The Silkworm, Episode 2 |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09608pv |website=bbc.co.uk|access-date=2 January 2022}} and In The Dark (2017).{{cite web |title=BBC One - In the Dark, Series 1, Episode 1 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08y7p10 |website=BBC |access-date=2 January 2022}} He appeared in the series Knightfall in 2017–2018, a 14th century period piece centered on the Knights Templar, where he played the role of Pierre, a spy after information on the Holy Grail.{{cite web | author = Rivera, Starleen | date = 31 December 2021 | title = The Witcher: 10 Movies and Shows Where You've Seen the Cast | work = screenrant.com|url = https://screenrant.com/the-witcher-cast/ | access-date = 25 January 2022 }}

Batey is a vocalist and musician for the indie folk band The Amazing Devil, as well as the primary writer and composer.{{Cite web | author = Davies, Mike | date=19 July 2016 | title=Album Review—The Amazing Devil: Love Run| website=folkRadio.co.uk | url=https://www.folkradio.co.uk/2016/07/amazing-devil-love-run/| accessdate=5 January 2020}} He and collaborator Madeleine Hyland met while acting for the Royal Shakespeare Company and together they formed the band in 2015,{{cite podcast | url=https://withasideofpod.nd.edu/episodes/2-4-on-shakespeare-and-your-magical-self-madeleine-hyland-actors-from-the-london-stage/ | title=On Shakespeare and Your Magical Self—Madeleine Hyland, Actors From The London Stage | publisher=University of Notre Dame Office of the Provost | date=29 November 2018 | access-date=22 March 2023 | host=Ted Fox | minutes=27 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130101634/https://withasideofpod.nd.edu/episodes/2-4-on-shakespeare-and-your-magical-self-madeleine-hyland-actors-from-the-london-stage/ | archive-date=30 November 2021 | url-status=live}}

producing what Batey has described as music that “sad people can listen to at train stations.”{{Cite web | accessdate=22 March 2023 | url=https://boysbygirls.co.uk/conversations/joey-batey |title=Conversations: Joey Batey}}

The band has released three albums including Love Run (2016), and The Horror and the Wild (2020).{{cite web |title=The Horror and the Wild |url=https://www.amazon.com/Horror-Wild-Explicit-Amazing-Devil/dp/B085RKHRPW |website=Amazon |access-date=9 April 2022}} Their most recent album, Ruin, was released on 31 October 2021.{{Cite web|url= https://theamazingdevil.bandcamp.com/album/ruin|title=ruin, by The Amazing Devil|website=Theamazingdevil.bandcamp.com|accessdate=31 October 2021}}{{cite web | url=https://www.carillonregina.com/album-review-ruin/ | title=Album Review: Ruin | last=Bright | first=Will | date=21 December 2021 | website=The Carillon | publisher=The Carillon Newspaper Inc. | access-date=22 March 2023}}

Since 2019, Batey has played the character of the bard, Jaskier, in Netflix's adaptation of The Witcher, based on the Polish novel series of the same name.{{Cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2018/10/the-witcher-first-look-henry-cavill-as-geralt-of-rivia-netflix-cast-production-begins-1202492991/|title='The Witcher': First Look At Henry Cavill As Geralt Of Rivia; Netflix Rounds Out Cast As Production Begins|last=Petski|first=Denise|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=31 October 2018|accessdate=13 October 2018|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20181101015448/https://deadline.com/2018/10/the-witcher-first-look-henry-cavill-as-geralt-of-rivia-netflix-cast-production-begins-1202492991/|archive-date=1 November 2018|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title=The Witcher|url=https://www.netflix.com/tudum/the-witcher/cast|access-date=2022-01-31|website=Netflix Tudum}} Batey has performed the following songs featured in the series:{{cite web |title=The Witcher Soundtrack |url=https://milanrecords.com/release/the-witcher-netflix-soundtrack/ |website=Milan Records |access-date=9 April 2022}}{{cite web |title=Joseph Trapanese: The Witcher: Season 2 - Soundtrack |url=https://milanrecords.com/release/the-witcher-season-2-soundtrack-from-the-netflix-series/ |website=Milan Records |access-date=9 April 2022}} "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher", "The Fishmonger's Daughter"{{Citation|title=The Fishmonger's Daughter| date=23 January 2020 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9UusdsLuJo|language=en|access-date=2021-12-20}} and "Her Sweet Kiss", as well as "Burn Butcher Burn",{{Cite web|title=Burn Butcher Burn| website=YouTube | date=16 December 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSxBVHqA-RU|language=en|access-date=2021-12-20}} "Whoreson Prison Blues"{{Cite web|title=Whoreson Prison Blues| website=YouTube | date=16 December 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-odq8wVs4e8|language=en|access-date=2021-12-20}} and "The Golden One".{{Cite web|title=The Golden One| website=YouTube | date=16 December 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4KO-pYuf_0|language=en|access-date=2021-12-20}}

His debut novel, It's Not a Cult, a "darkly comic folk horror" is expected to be released in September 2025.{{Cite web |title=Raven Books to publish actor and musician Joey Batey's debut novel |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/rights/raven-books-to-publish-actor-and-musician-joey-bateys-debut-novel |access-date=2025-03-25 |website=The Bookseller |language=En}}

Filmography

= Film =

Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes
class="wikitable sortable"
2014	The Riot Club	Eager Chap
2016	Bloody Cakes	Colin Montcrawknox	Unreleased
2017	Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool	Eddie	Uncredited
2025	The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep	Jaskier (voice)

= Television =

Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes
class="wikitable sortable"
2013	Murder on the Home Front	Dixie	Television film
2013	The White Queen	Edward of Lancaster	2 episodes
2013	Whitechapel	Gavin Redman	2 episodes
2016	Mount Pleasant	Gopher	3 episodes
2017	In the Dark	Shelley	2 episodes
2017	Strike	Al Rokeby	2 episodes
2017–2018	Knightfall	Pierre	5 episodes
2018	Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators	Callum Ballimore	Series 1, episode 4: "This Rough Magic"
2018	Stan Lee's Lucky Man	Bobby Hayes	Series 3, episode 2: "Run Rabbit Run"
2019	The War of the Worlds	Henderson	Series 1, episode 1
2019–present	The Witcher	rowspan="2" \| Jaskier	Main role
2022	The Witcher: Blood Origin	Guest role
2022	Billy The Kid	Patrick McCarty	1 episode