Joey Batey

Joey Batey is an English actor, musician, singer, songwriter, and author born in 1989 in Newcastle upon Tyne. He studied Modern and Medieval Languages at Robinson College, Cambridge, where he earned a BA, and subsequently trained at L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq. During his time at Cambridge, Batey co-wrote and performed in the comedic sketch show Good Clean Men alongside Alex Owen, Ben Ashenden, and Simon Haines, and he also appeared in a production of The Seagull with Haines, Lily Cole, and Genevieve Gaunt.

Batey made his film debut in the 2013 British thriller Murder on the Home Front, directed by Geoffrey Sax. The following year he appeared in The Riot Club, directed by Lone Scherfig. In 2015, he made his Broadway debut in Wolf Hall Parts One & Two. Paul McGuigan cast him as Eddie in Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool in 2017, the same year he appeared in the British television series Strike and In the Dark. From 2017 to 2018, Batey played Pierre, a spy seeking information on the Holy Grail, in the period drama Knightfall, set in the 14th century and centered on the Knights Templar.

Since 2019, Batey has portrayed the bard Jaskier in Netflix's fantasy series The Witcher, an adaptation of the Polish novel series of the same name. His performance includes singing several songs featured in the show, among them "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher," "The Fishmonger's Daughter," "Her Sweet Kiss," "Burn Butcher Burn," "Whoreson Prison Blues," and "The Golden One."

Alongside his screen work, Batey is a vocalist, musician, and primary writer and composer for the indie folk band The Amazing Devil. He and collaborator Madeleine Hyland formed the band in 2015 after meeting while working for the Royal Shakespeare Company. The band has released three albums: Love Run in 2016, The Horror and the Wild in 2020, and Ruin on October 31, 2021.

Batey is also a published author. His debut novel, It's Not a Cult, described as a darkly comic folk horror, was released on October 23, 2025, by Bloomsbury Publishing. The book features illustrations by Madeleine Hyland, and Batey himself narrates the audiobook, which is currently available only in the United Kingdom.