Peter Schneider
“Real cases served as models for the GDR ‘Police Call 110′”
Commissioner Michael Lehmann alias Peter Schneider has his first appearance in “Polizeiruf 110: An der Saale hellem Strande”.
© MDR / filmpool fiction / Felix Abraham
The “Polizeiruf 110” celebrates its 50th anniversary. The new commissioner Peter Schneider explains why the crime fiction format is so successful.
In 1971 the first “Police Call 110” flickered across the screens in the GDR. 50 years later, the crime fiction format is cult throughout Germany. For the anniversary, the ARD came up with something special on May 30th: A new team of investigators goes on the hunt for criminals at 8:15 p.m. on the first. In “Polizeiruf 110: An der Saale hellem Strande” Peter Kurth (64) and Peter Schneider (46) can be seen for the first time as inspectors Henry Koitzsch and Michael Lehmann in Halle.
Schneider, who was born in Leipzig, has known the crime thriller “since childhood,” as he reveals in an interview with the news agency spot on news. “I like the format very much – not only as an actor, but also as a viewer.” In the interview, the actor also reveals what, in his opinion, is the recipe for success of the series, to what extent “Polizeiruf 110” differs from “Tatort” and with whom he will watch the anniversary episode.
They now belong to the “Polizeiruf 110” cosmos and are starting with an anniversary episode. What does that mean for you?
Peter Schneider: That’s great. I am particularly happy about the team. Both about the two authors Clemens Meyer and Thomas Stuber, the latter also works as a director, and about the great Peter Kurth as my colleague. For me this is a dream constellation. I feel very well looked after in the team and in the “Police Call” series.
Are you nervous about the premiere? Who are you going to watch the crime thriller with?
Schneider: I’m totally nervous. I’ll watch it with my wife when she doesn’t have to work. Otherwise I sit alone in front of the television – sometimes I prefer that too. Because it’s always weird when you see yourself on TV. It’s like hearing your own voice. Often memories of the filming come up or you can see the mistakes you made.
Did you follow the crime series “Polizeiruf 110” before you got involved?
Schneider: Yes, I’ve known “Polizeiruf 110” since childhood. I grew up in the east and a total fan of the Rostock team. I also have in the crossover double episode “Polizeiruf 110: Wendemanöver” [2015] played where the Rostock and Magdeburg team determined. I like the format very much – not only as an actor, but also as a viewer. I am very pleased that the “Polizeiruf 110” survived the fall of the Berlin Wall and developed into an all-German format.
Is there a case that stuck in your mind in particular?
Schneider: Yes, the “Police Call 110: The Crossword Puzzle Case” [1988]. What was special about the “police call” in GDR times was that real cases served as templates. In this case, which also took place in Halle, the focus was on the murder of a child and the commissioners were able to convict the perpetrator by completing a crossword puzzle. That impressed me very much. Also because it was an unusual “police call” – because in the GDR only harmless criminal cases were often filmed. Usually there were no capital crimes to be seen. In one case it was about a wall unit that was stolen.
The “Polizeiruf 110” celebrates its 50th birthday. Why is the format so successful?
Schneider: Maybe it has something to do with maintaining an East German identity. It is one of the few formats from GDR times that still exist today. I think it’s good that it has become an all-German format – after all, it’s not just East Germans who watch “Police Call” and the teams don’t just come from East Germany. Perhaps it is also because the cases are less pompous compared to the “crime scene” – but are told just as intensely. But I can’t explain it to myself either. It’s just a beautiful phenomenon.
Do you see any other differences between the “Tatort” and “Polizeiruf 110” formats?
Schneider: I can feel the differences. It’s an emotional thing. When I call the police, the way of telling the story is closer to me. But there are a lot of interfaces between the formats – after all, both are crime thrillers. But still I feel more connected to the “police call”.
Maybe because you grew up with the “police call 110”?
Schneider: That certainly plays a role. Meanwhile I also like to watch “police calls” from GDR times. In the old episodes, everything is always presented as if everything were actually fine in the little GDR – which is of course glorifying. But I still like to watch it.
But you watch “Tatort” too, right?
Schneider: Yes, of course! It’s a ritual on Sunday evening.