Documentary on Fungie’s disappearance and The Den Christmas special among highlights of RTÉ festive schedule

Two things that would have proved baffling at the start of 2020, but make perfect sense now.

It’s still a raw subject for many Irish people, but one of the biggest stories of 2020 – and yes, we say that with confidence in the year of a global pandemic and a US presidential election – is set to be revisited in a special documentary this Christmas. That’s right, only a few weeks after his disappearance from his home in Dingle Bay after 37 years shocked the nation, the departure of the beloved Fungie the dolphin and the impact both locally and beyond will be explored by host Baz Ashmawy in Fungie’s Kingdom. That documentary is one of the highlights of the RTÉ Christmas TV schedule announced on Wednesday, which also includes The Real Field and The Busk - A Decade of Christmas on Grafton Street. In The Real Field, Billy Keane, son of John B, goes in search of the truth behind the murder that inspired his father’s most famous work. The Busk, meanwhile, will celebrate the best of Irish music, songs and stories and the great tradition that sees some of Ireland’s best musical talents take to Grafton Street to put on a show each Christmas. Elsewhere in the festive schedule, Mrs. Brown’s Boys will be gunning to make it 10 years in a row as the most-watched TV programme in Ireland at Christmas with not one, but two festive specials. There’ll also be a Christmas Special from The Den - the revamp of which has proved a huge success in recent weeks - and a special programme to mark the 25^th anniversary of Riverdance. Amongst the movies on offer, meanwhile, will be the premiere of Angela’s Christmas Wish on Christmas Day, the sequel to the Emmy-nominated animated special, Angela’s Christmas. Other movies on RTÉ over Christmas include Dublin Old School, Peter Rabbit, Coco, A Star is Born, The Greatest Showman, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom. Plenty in there for most to enjoy and if it doesn't take your fancy, there's always Netflix.