Actor Joey Batey plays Jaskier the Bard on Netflix’s new drama fantasy series The Witcher, which premiered on the streaming platform on December 20.
Jaskier, a gifted singer, provides some comic relief alongside the grim Geralt of Rivia, played by actor Henry Cavill.
Viewers are introduced to Jaskier the Bard in The Witcher Season 1, Episode 2, titled Four Marks. He showcases his singing voice in a tavern, but the patrons don’t appreciate his whimsical rhyming about “Nan the Hag” stirring up a “potion for an abortion,” and they shout him down.
Then he sees a silent and brooding figure in a dark corner of the tavern.
The lone stranger’s fame has gone before him, and the young bard recognizes him as The Witcher, Geralt of Rivia. The bard offers his services as the “barker” who would “spread the tales of Geralt of Rivia, the Butcher of Blaviken.”
Geralt isn’t impressed and Jaskier ends up receiving a blow to the crotch for all his trouble. Despite the rough introduction, the bard eventually proves to be a loyal companion and friend to the monster hunter.
Who is Joey Batey?
Joey Batey is a British actor from Newcastle upon Tyne. He attended the University of Cambridge, where he studied Modern and Medieval Languages.
Batey plays Geralt’s loyal companion Jaskier the Bard in The Witcher series. He is also a musician, the lead singer for the group The Amazing Devil. The Amazing Devil has a new album, The Horror and The Wild, due for release in February 2020.
The Amazing Devil released its debut album Love Run in 2016. The YouTube video below is the debut single, King, from that first album.
Batey’s experience as a musician makes him a good fit for his role on The Witcher as a bard. This is also not the first time he has played the role of a musician.
He has appeared in several stage productions, including the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Olivier. He played the court musician Mark Smeaton in the West End and Broadway productions of Wolf Hall and its sequel Bring up the Bodies.
Batey is an experienced actor who has appeared in several TV shows. He played Henderson in the 2019 BBC TV series of The War of the Worlds and Brother Pierre in Knightfall.
He is also known for playing Edward of Lancaster on Starz’s The White Queen and Shelley on the BBC’s crime drama In The Dark.
Joey recorded his own songs for The Witcher, according to the website Redanian Intelligence.
The Witcher is streaming on Netflix.