German actors face backlash over ‘cynical’ Covid lockdown videos

Dozens of high-profile actors feature on website making fun of Germany's coronavirus restrictions

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For half a century, the police procedural Tatort (Crime Scene") has provided a rallying point for Germany's culturally diverse regions, gathering viewers around their television sets every Sunday night to watch detectives from across the country solve gruesome murders over the course of 90 minutes.

But 13 months into living with a virus that can't be put behind bars, Tatort has become the scene of a different kind of crime: a series of satirical videos making fun of coronavirus restrictions, recorded by TV actors associated with the crime drama, has plunged lockdown-fatigued Germany into a bitter culture war.