David Peter S. Witts (born 30 June 1991) is a British actor and model, best known for his portrayal of Joey Branning in the long-running British television soap opera, ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'', in which he appeared from 2012 to 2013.

Early life

Witts attended Southend High School for Boys, where he first discovered his passion for acting. For a number of years, he trained with the National Youth Music Theatre and the

National Youth Theatre of Great Britain The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT) is a youth theatre and registered charity in London. Its aim is to develop and nurture young people through creative arts and theatrical productions. Founded in 1956 as the world's first youth the ...

. Following a short period of working as a barman, Witts appeared in numerous theatre productions, including ''Wild Boyz'', ''The Wizard of Oz'' and ''Snow White'' during 2011 and 2012.

Career

2012–13: ''EastEnders''

In May 2012,

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

reported that Witts had been cast to play

Derek Branning Derek Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Terence Beesley in 1996 and then Jamie Foreman from 2011 to 2012. Derek is the eldest child of Jim Branning (John Bardon) and Reenie Branning (Joy Graha ...

's son, Joey Branning, in ''EastEnders''. Of his arrival to the series, Witts commented, "I am delighted to be joining ''EastEnders'' after being a fan for so many years. Joining the Branning family couldn't have come at a better time, especially after the recent

British Soap Awards The British Soap Awards (BSAs) are an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom which honours the best moments in British soap operas. The ceremony is televised on ITV and has been presented by Phillip Schofield since 2006. The trophies gi ...

wins." ''EastEnders executive producer,

Lorraine Newman Lorraine Newman (born 1978) is a British scriptwriter, television producer, and the executive producer of the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 2012 to 2013. Newman, who has worked on ''EastEnders'' for "nearly 20 years", received the role of ...

said, "Joey is a fantastic addition to the Brannings and after an explosive entrance onto the Square, he is set to break a few hearts as he campaigns to bring Derek down." In October 2013 it was reported that he had decided to leave ''EastEnders''. His final scenes were aired on 26 December 2013.

2014–present: Theatre, ''Recovery Road'' and ''Manhunt''

In early 2014 Witts starred as Link Larkin in a production of '' Hairspray'' at the

Curve In mathematics, a curve (also called a curved line in older texts) is an object similar to a line, but that does not have to be straight. Intuitively, a curve may be thought of as the trace left by a moving point. This is the definition that ...

in Leicester. He appeared in the pantomime ''

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part o ...

'' at the New Theatre, Hull over the Christmas/New Year period of 2014/15. In March 2015, it was announced that Witts would star in the new American TV series ''

Recovery Road ''Recovery Road'' is a novel for teenagers by author Blake Nelson. The book is centered on a teenager, Maddie Graham, at the rehab center, Spring Meadows, and how she overcomes her addiction to alcohol and drugs. The book shows how Maddie transfo ...

'', as Craig, with the series beginning on 25 January 2016 on Freeform. In May 2016, it was announced that the show had been cancelled. In May 2018, it was announced that Witts would making his West End debut in the hit musical '' Wicked'', replacing Bradley Jaden as Fiyero from 23 July 2018. Witts left ''Wicked'' on 20 July 2019 and was replaced by Alistair Brammer. In March 2019, Witts appeared in an episode of the BBC daytime soap '' Doctors''. Witts appeared in the pantomime ''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

'' at the Theatre Royal, Norwich over the Christmas/New Year period of 2019/20. In 2021, Witts appeared in the second series of ''

Manhunt Manhunt may refer to: Search processes * Manhunt (law enforcement), a search for a dangerous fugitive * Manhunt (military), a search for a high-value target by special operations forces or intelligence agencies Social organisations * Manhun ...

'' alongside

Martin Clunes Alexander Martin Clunes Order of the British Empire, OBE Deputy Lieutenant, DL (born 28 November 1961) is an English actor, comedian, director and television presenter. He is best known for portraying Martin Ellingham in the ITV (TV network), IT ...

. Witts played DC Adam Spier for four episodes.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Witts, David 1991 births Living people People from Southend-on-Sea Male actors from Essex People educated at Southend High School for Boys English male stage actors English male soap opera actors National Youth Theatre members