Copious Christmas shenanigans in Hatching, Matching and Dispatching TV movie

The cast of characters from the Gemini-award winning CBC series Hatching, Matching and Dispatching are reuniting just in time for the holidays.

But all is not merry and bright for the Furey family, which the show centres around.

"The Fureys are falling apart. Mary Lou is leaving, everything is up on bust," says Mary Walsh, who plays the matriarch of the family, describing the movie's premise.

However, all is not lost, insisted Walsh, thanks to a complicated young foster child.

"She comes, and she redeems the Fureys' Christmas," said Walsh.

A Christmas Fury airs on CBC Dec. 3 at 8:30 p.m. Newfoundland time.

One season, lots of love

The CBC series which ran for one season in 2006 is about a family that operates a wedding parlour, ambulance service and funeral home.

• Hatching, Matching and Dispatching movie happening
• Mary Walsh re-hatching CBC series for Christmas movie

It's not just fans of the show that are happy the characters are back, albeit in film form.

"Hatching, Matching and Dispatching was the favourite thing that I ever did it was just a very joyful event for me," Walsh told CBC.

She blames the show's short life on "a regime change at CBC" but it wasn't the last anyone would hear from the Fureys, thanks to Walsh and partner Ed McDonald.

"Maybe we could make a film. So all these years that we've been working, some days relentlessly, some days with our heads down on the ground depressed, some days full of joy, and we finally hit the right time," Walsh said.

"There was a spark of interest after all that time that maybe they might do it. And indeed we did!"

The Hatching, Matching and Dispatching family gathers for Christmas

7 years ago

Duration 4:39

Newfoundlands most dysfunctional family returns to CBC as the Hatching Matching and Dispatching story continues with an outrageously funny TV movie, A Christmas Fury.

It wasn't all a labour of love, however, since it required filming in Newfoundland in February and March, which saw some snow-heavy days where the cast and crew logged long shoots.

"We were outside for 10 hours because we couldn't go in because the snow would just melt. We could go in for lunch, change our clothes, get dry, but we were out like six hours in the afternoon," said Walsh.

"But it was so good, it was just so much fun."

Cast have come a long way

Walsh has high praise for the cast, noting many have higher profiles than when the show was airing over a decade ago.

"Mark McKinney and Shaun Majumder were already established, right? But people like Jonny Harris, I mean, he does not stop working now," she said.

"Joel Thomas Hynes just won the Governor General's [Award] ... And Sherry White down in L.A. working on 10 Days in the Valley as the showrunner she's possibly the most popular showrunner in this country. People are constantly trying to get her."

Walsh still almost doesn't believe it that all the stars lined up for the Fureys to return.

"It was magical to have everybody come back together," she said.