Murat Topal

Murat Topal (born 1975 in West-Berlin) is a German comedian and Kabarettist. He grew up in Berlin-Neukölln as the child of a German mother and a father of Turkish descent. He first attended the police academy and worked from 1996 to 2005 as a police officer in Berlin-Kreuzberg; later he completed additional training at the Stunt- und Schauspielschule Düsseldorf.

In the early days of his cabaret career he performed alongside his job. After smaller television appearances in his role as a Kreuzberg policeman in 2004 and 2005 on programmes such as Nightwash, Freitag Nacht News and Quatsch Comedy Club, the premiere of his first full-length programme Getürkte Fälle - ein Cop packt aus followed in 2005, with a six-week run at the ufaFabrik Berlin. In 2006 he was a guest on the cabaret programme Mitternachtsspitzen and in the Scheibenwischer gala. In 2007 he ended his career as a civil servant, and in 2008 his second solo programme Tschüssi Copski! Ein Cop packt ein followed, with which he toured Germany. He slips with strong physical presence and linguistic versatility into numerous character types he encountered daily as a police officer with a Kreuzberg and Neukölln connection.

Topal is involved with former police colleagues in the project Stopp Tokat against violence at Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg schools and is also an ambassador for the institution Notinsel. In 2012 he was the presenter of Quiz Taxi Reloaded, and in 2015 he returned to police service with the Polizei Berlin. He lives in Berlin-Britz. In 2005 he received the Heilbronner Lorbeeren in the comedy category. He has also published several books, including Polizei für Anfänger (2008) and Der Bülle von Kreuzberg (2010).