Originally from Bristol, Joseph studied English Literature and Drama at the University of Manchester, before doing an MA in performance at Central School of Speech and Drama. For the last fifteen years, he has worked as an actor, predominantly in comedy and children’s television. He is probably best known for playing pirate ‘Cook’ in the BAFTA-winning CBeebies series, Swashbuckle, for which he also wrote many of the scripts. In 2020, he co-created, wrote and starred in Big Fat Like, a comedy sketch show commissioned by the BBC, which parodies the bizarre world of YouTube. He is also part of the script writing teams for The Amelia Gething Complex, Class Dismissed, and Horrible Histories. 

Joseph’s debut novel, The Good Hawk, was published by Walker Books UK and Walker US in 2020. It was nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Award, longlisted for The Highland Book Prize, and won Best Middle Grade at the 2021 Audie Awards. It was also named a 'Book of the Month' by The Guardian and a 'Book of the Year' by The Times. It was followed by the sequels The Broken Raven and The Burning Swift, which complete the Shadow Skye trilogy. Joseph is also the author of the short story 'Bag For Life', which was turned into a short film by Reckless Kid Films. When not writing or acting, Joseph loves painting, pottery, snorkelling and playing board games. 

Twitter: @joseph_elliott
Instagram: @joseph_elliott1 
Website: www.joseph-elliott.net

Books in order of publication:

The Good Hawk (2020)

'Bag For Life,' The Book of Hopes (2020)

The Broken Raven (2021)

The Burning Swift (2022)

Nora and the Map of Mayhem (2024)