In the battle for the Christmas Day viewer, streaming services shell out big bucks for enduring festive favourites like Love Actually and Elf. They have a secret weapon of more modest scale though, in the form of Fireplace for Your Home’s deceptively popular range of atmospheric titles.

A hygge life hack for those without a chimney, the films offer hours of scintillating wood-burning action. They provide a cosiness without the hassle of smoke and soot, and – after enough glasses of port – start to serve as a metaphor for the synthetic, intangible nature of Christmas itself.

But how did these ambient, vaguely Lynchian masterpieces even get onto Netflix? We tracked down George Ford, the director behind the films and founder of Pet Media Plus, based in Longview, Washington, and asked him a few burning questions (no apologies for that).

Fireplace 4K: Crackling Birchwood from Fireplace for Your Home

George, I understand your 9 to 5 is running a pet supplies company famous for products that train birds how to speak and sing. How on Earth did you end up getting into the VOD fireplace game?

So this one day I was filming a crazy cat DVD called Adventure Cat. It’s a television video for cats to keep them busy, and all these mice were running around and I thought, "I’m like a reality filmmaker for rodents." It got me thinking about what else I could capture.

My children were always asking me to build a fire, especially during the holidays. I had seen the one that was made in the 1960s and thought it was time for an update. Besides, I thought it would be much easier to just place a television inside our fireplace hearth than keep making a real fire.

And did you approach Netflix with the idea, or were they on the lookout for some slow TV?

Netflix and a few other streaming services thought I had completely lost it by offering them what I called “the best fireplace you have ever seen”. They laughed it off, of course, at least for a couple of years until I found the right person in Netflix to take me seriously, his name was Ian. He and I had a few laughs along the way with this.

I think he may have thought he could be a hero or a zero if he brought the videos onto Netflix. He was literally taking the chance of losing his credibility as a buyer, but it caught on like wildfire and both Ian and I were very happy.

Where the magic happens (George Ford)

2010’s Fireplace for Your Home S1: E1: Crackling Yule Log Fireplace – with its instrumental versions of holiday favourites like “Joy to the World” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” – was obviously held back by its narrow focus. Why did it take five years for you to make the all seasons-inclusive follow-up, Fireplace 4K: Classic Crackling Fireplace?

This is show business. I actually had them all made much earlier! We needed to see the other titles perform and become popular for Netflix, Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Pureflix and many more. The thought of having a “year around” fireplace was laughable at the time, what with almost every home having some type of gas or real fireplace anyhow. Who would want a fake fireplace in the summer? Well, it looks like just about everyone.

About that – do you have any ideas how many plays the videos have racked up? It must be a pretty big number!

This is a great question of which I have pondered many times. I’ve tried to come up with a formula for how many total star reviews and whatnot. I would guess in excess of 70 million views would be a fair number, as many times people watch it over and over – sometimes I feel like I account for one of those million alone. It may be higher though, Netflix now has this available worldwide [The Independent has requested at least a ballpark figure from Netflix, which doesn’t make its ratings public].

Are you able to give any indication of the money you made from the three titles on Netflix?

Not as much as everyone might think, and before you go quitting your day job to be a fireplace filmmaker, keep in mind the first one cost just under 35,000 American dollars to figure out, and took two years to produce.

That is...a lot of money.

The costs of hiring production studios to come out and film the fireplace grew. We battled timing issues, colour, audio and general high-resolution problems along the way. Special cameras have to be used around flames and only certain colour temperatures work – that’s why you just don’t see an open flame much in movies.

Best films on Netflix Show all 28 1 /28 Best films on Netflix Best films on Netflix Netflix's recommendation algorithm is pretty sophisticated these days, to the point where it can probably determine not only what you want to watch next, but what you'll eat for breakfast 13 years on Wednesday and the thread count of your sheets. And yet, it still has a tendency to spit out some peculiar recommendations. Double features like The Boss Baby: Back in Business and Full Metal Jacket, presumably the result of a four-year-old relative having briefly taken charge of your account. Sometimes you just can't beat a good old-fashioned human recommendation. So here's a list of exclusively great films, from renowned and revered award winners to lesser-known gems. Rex Best films on Netflix Best films on Netflix The Wolf of Wall Street (2013. Dir. Martin Scorsese, stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey) It's strange that this title doesn't often rank high in "best Scorsese movies" lists, given that it is so accomplished at every level of production. Compelling, shocking and very, very funny, it tells the story of Jordan Belfort (DiCaprio), a ruthless stockbroker whose fraudulence and market manipulation afforded him an incredibly opulent and debauched lifestyle - until the feds closed in. Cast to perfection, this is the film that cemented Jonah Hill as more than just a stoner comedy actor (so desperate was he to achieve his dream of appearing in a Scorsese film that he offered to perform his key role in Wall Street for free). Paramount Pictures Best films on Netflix Crazy Stupid Love (2011. Dir. Glenna Ficarra and John Requa, stars Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone) Write off this movie as a throwaway romcom because of its sappy title at your peril. Centring on a divorcee (Carell) being reeducated on single life by a suave younger man (Gosling), Crazy, Stupid, Love starts out a light watch that packs a lot of laughs. It's working away on your soul, though, and by the end this surprisingly profound comic drama will have you in tears. Warner Bros. Best films on Netflix Seven (1995. Dir. David Fincher, stars Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey) Criminally overlooked at the Oscars (it only received one nomination - Best Film Editing) Se7en became the blueprint for the neo-noir crime thriller. Two detectives (Pitt and Freeman) stalk a serial killer whose murders are inspired by the seven deadly sins. The film moves through them with great pace and suspense, before concluding with an unforgettably macabre twist. New Line Cinema Best films on Netflix Scarface (1983. Dir. Brian De Palma, stars Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer) Come for the mafia story, stay for the 1980s nostalgia. De Palma brought style and emotion to this fairly simple story of a Cuban refugee turned drug kingpin, a rambunctious mix of artful relationship drama and gory, pulp action movie. It's always a pleasure to soak up the pastel neon of 1980s Miami, the iconic new wave soundtrack, and the fearsome, immersive lead performance from Al Pacino. That I nearly wrote "stars Tony Montana" above says it all. Universal Pictures Best films on Netflix Girl, Interrupted (1999. Dir. James Mangold, stars Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Brittany Murphy, Elisabeth Moss) 1999 was a vintage year for cinema and this drama was ahead of its time, both in its brutally honest exploration of mental health and its overwhelmingly female cast. Kaysen (Ryder) is on the surface of it one of the less severe cases at Claymoore psychiatric hospital, but, as she is led astray by the other rebellious patients (Jolie et al), her manipulative personality has an insidious effect on them all. Columbia Pictures Best films on Netflix Whiplash (2014. Dir. Damien Chazelle, stars Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons) This is one of the very best movies about music, and it had a budget of $3 million. You don't have to be particularly into jazz nor drumming to appreciate this meditation on creative discipline. It's a fireworks display of a film which overloads the senses and will have you so close to the edge of your seat as to risk back injury. Sony Pictures Best films on Netflix The Social Network (2010. Dir. David Fincher, stars Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Rooney Mara, Justin Timberlake) As with The Big Short, this biopic was hard to get excited about when it was first announced – the story of Facebook's rise from dorm room prank to world-changing social network didn't appear to be particularly dramatic on the surface of it. Thanks to a razor sharp script from Aaron Sorkin, Eisenberg's performance as Facebook founder and neurotic genius Mark Zuckerberg, and Nine Inch Nails's Trent Reznor's driving score, it is however an absolute pleasure to spend 120 minutes with. In light of recent events surrounding Facebook, I only wish we were going to get a Social Network 2. Columbia Pictures Best films on Netflix La La Land (2016. Dir. Damien Chazelle, stars Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone) If you take my Whiplash recommendation and have a good time with Chazelle's breakthrough feature, you'll be pleased to hear his follow-up is also on Netflix. La La Land isn't quite as easy to love but stunningly executed. It's a love letter to classic Hollywood unfolding through the lives of a struggling musician and actor (Gosling and Stone). Summit Entertainment Best films on Netflix Atonement (2007. Dir. Joe Wright, stars Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Saoirse Ronan, Benedict Cumberbatch) This beautifully-acted adaptation of the Ian McEwan novel centres on precocious 13-year-old writer Briony Tallis (Ronan) and the lives she irreversibly changes when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he didn't commit. The cinematography is breathtaking; you'll want to hang stills from the film on your wall. Universal Pictures Best films on Netflix Good Will Hunting (1997. Dir. Gus Van Sant, stars Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Minnie Driver) Damon and Affleck penned one of the all-time great scripts here, telling the story of a kid from the wrong side of the tracks in Boston (Damon) who happens to also be a self-taught maths genius. Robin Williams gives an unforgettably tender performance as his therapist, as the film probes deep philosophical questions and examines the worth of knowledge. Miramax Best films on Netflix Children of Men The year is 2027, and two decades of human infertility have left society in ruins. This is no mild dystopia – there's only one functioning government left in the world. Clive Owen plays civil servant who (mild to medium spoiler alert) who discovers a refugee is pregnant and must get her to safety amid chaos and rioting. Engrossing from start to finish, the thriller is notable for its daring single-shot sequences, which saw long strings of action captured in one take thanks to some nifty camerawork. Alamy Best films on Netflix Rain Man This comedy road movie swept the board at the 1988 Oscars, winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Dustin Hoffman. His chemistry with Cruise is fabulous to watch. Cruise's hustler character finds his inheritance has been given to an autistic savant brother (Hoffman) he knew nothing about. He initially tries to exploit Raymond's gift for numbers, but ends up warming to him and the pair establish an unusual and touching sibling relationship. Rain Man also features on our list of movie mistakes that only made their scenes better. Best films on Netflix Fantastic Mr Fox (2009. Dir. Wes Anderson, stars George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray) Almost a decade before Isle of Dogs came Anderson's first foray into stop-motion animation, an adaptation of Roald Dahl's 1970 children's novel, Fantastic Mr Fox. As quirky and detail-orientated as you would expect for the auteur, this is a film made with a lot of love that will please viewers of all generations. 20th Century Fox Best films on Netflix Best films on Netflix Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016. Dir. Aktiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, stars Andy Bamberg, Schaffer, Taccone, Joan Cusack, Maya Rudolph) The Lonely Island gang give the modern pop industry a much needed ribbing in this mockumentary, which centres on a Justin Bieber-esque popstar known as Connor4Real (Samberg) as he ditches his boyband mates and embarks on a solo career. Hugely funny, it skewers everything from stadium show gimmicks to celebrities' use of social media. Keep your eyes people for an amazing TMZ parody. Universal Pictures Best films on Netflix 20th Century Women (2016. Dir. Mike Mills, stars Annette Benning, Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig) Given the male egos on the geopolitical stage at the minute, there's something quite timely about this story of a boy being raised by women amid a spirit of freedom prevalent in Santa Barbara in 1979. Annette Benning shows why she is one of Hollywood's greats, in an increasingly rare lead role. A24 Best films on Netflix Nightcrawler (2014. Dir. Dan Gilroy, stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Riz Ahmed) Realising that his sensitive demeanour is actually weirdly creepy was the best thing Gyllenhaal could do for his career. With Nightcrawler, he quit playing heroic soldiers and explorers and took on a sinister video journalist obsessed with covering the most grim and violent crime scenes he can scramble to. An underrated thriller with a lot to say about American news consumption. Open Road Films Best films on Netflix Loving Vincent (2017. Dir. Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman, stars Saoirse Ronan, Helen McCrory, Aidan Turner) Each of this film's 65,000 frames is an oil painting on canvas, created painstakingly by a team of artists employing the same techniques as Vincent van Gogh. If that fact doesn't get you to at least stick this film on and give it a chance to draw you in, I don't know what will. Altitude Best films on Netflix Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond (2017. Dir. Miloš Forman, stars Jim Carrey) A film about Jim Carrey's portrayal of Andy Kaufman in 1999 film Man on the Moon might sound niche, but this documentary transcends its behind-the-scenes premise. Carrey stayed in character for the entire production of the biopic, infuriating and inspiring his co-stars. Here we find out why, and get to spend some time in Carrey's mind, which is not always a very happy place to be. A surprisingly moving watch. Netflix Best films on Netflix The Invitation (2015. Dir Karyn Kusama, stars Logan Marshall-Green, Tammy Blanchard) There's neither witchcraft nor unexplained supernatural goings on in this horror, which takes place entirely at an incredibly awkward dinner party. The hosts will just not stop being creepy. Protagonist Will seems to be the only guest convinced something is not quite right, but is it all in his head? Drafthouse Best films on Netflix Nymphomaniac volumes I & II (2013. Dir. Lars von Trier, stars Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgård, Shia LaBeouf, Christian Slater, Jamie Bell, Uma Thurman, Willem Dafoe) The third part of Lars von Trier's so-called "Depression Trilogy" (following Antichrist and Melancholia), Nymphomaniac is probably the experimental director's most accessible film. Separated into two parts, it chronicles a young woman's (Stacy Martin and later Gainsbourg) sexual history, and the often dangerous impact it has on her life. Les Films du Losange Best films on Netflix Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011. Dir. David Gelb, stars Jiro Ono) Certainly the best film ever made about sushi and possibly the best film ever made about food, Jiro Dreams of Sushi centres on 85-year-old Jiro Ono, the owner of a Michelin three-star restaurant located in a Tokyo subway station. Jiro is one of the highest-regarded chefs in the world, but is any level of acclaim good enough for this uber-perfectionist? Magnolia Pictures Best films on Netflix Layer Cake (2004. Dir. Matthew Vaughn, stars Daniel Craig, Tom Hardy, Ben Whishaw, Sally Hawkins) Ever wondered how Daniel Craig ended up playing James Bond? Look no further than this gritty mob drama, in which he plays a suave and solemn cocaine supplier, drawn deeper than he would like into London's criminal underbelly. Sony Pictures Best films on Netflix God's Own Country (2017. Dir. Francis Lee, stars Josh O'Connor, Alec Secăreanu) "Same-sex lovers struggle to just be themselves in a small town where being gay is frowned upon" may be a story we've seen many, many times on the big screen now, but this British drama just does it so beautifully, and with a budget of only £1 million. Johnny (O'Connor) is a bored and bitter young farmer in Yorkshire, but his life is turned upside down when Romanian migrant worker Gheorge (Secăreanu) arrives and soothes his weary soul. Orion Pictures Best films on Netflix Good Time (2017. Dir. the Safdie brothers, stars Robert Pattinson, Jennifer Jason Leigh) A scintillating little film, this centres on one night in the life of Constantine (Pattinson) and his mentally-handicapped brother Nick (Ben Safdie) as they bungle a bank robbery and are hounded by the police. Harnessing the same piss and vinegar spirit as a Heat or a Carlito's Way, this will make you nostalgic for the action movie golden age of the 1990s. A24 Best films on Netflix Gaga: Five Foot Two (2017. Dir. Chris Moukarbel, stars Lady Gaga) Lady Gaga is a fascinating figure in that she exists in a space within the pop industry entirely of her own. We get a glimpse of her world in this documentary, which encounters her struggle with chronic pain caused by fibromyalgia, her Super Bowl LI halftime show, her guest role in American Horror Story and her feud with Madonna. Netflix

Which of the trilogy is your favourite? For me it’s the birchwood edition; the crackle has a real richness to it, plus you get the aesthetic bonus of the bark.

The birchwood was a fun one to complete. We had to ship in the wood from halfway across America, twice!

How come?

We burned through the first batch and I decided on a re-shoot for quality. It’s one of my favourites too, though, although that fir bark and sap can be snappy too.

The Classic Fireplace is my all-time favourite because of all the hard work that went into it figuring it out, we must have nearly quit altogether about 100 times before it was finally completed. We didn’t realise how hard it would be to film a high-quality fireplace. The wood would burn in the wrong direction and we had other issues with colour and picture quality. It quickly became apparent that this would be a unique project that required very special equipment to get it right.

Netflix made their own version of a fireplace video to tie in with Will Smith movie, ‘Bright’

In 2017, Netflix made a dystopian version of your fireplace videos (A Home Fireplace: Bright Edition) to tie-in with the release of the movie Bright, did they consult you on this? Frankly, it feels like an infringement on your intellectual property.

This was a bit of a surprise to us, but it was all in fun. The bad news, of course, is they beat us to the burn barrel edition of Fireplace for your Home. Dang it.

Where actually is the fireplace from the videos? Is it in your home?

It is. I had purchased this very old and run down house to fix up. It had this fantastic fireplace which I really liked and after a bit of clean up it became the setting of Fireplace for your Home!

Can we expect more fireplace videos? Personally, I would like to see you tackle some more types of wood.

We have around 70 titles complete, with about 40 published here and there online on various sites. Be on the lookout for our Mesquite Fireplace and Faux Fireplace, with Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire coming to homes everywhere soon.

And what about expanding the atmospheric TV genre? Might we see Water Fountain for Your Home? Wheelbarrow Full of Puppies for Your Home?

You never know what the gang at Fireplace for Your Home will be cooking up, or cooling down for that matter – Melting Icicles, anyone?

Actually, if you look closely you may catch a glimpse of our Mesquite Fireplace in Liam Neeson’s movie Hard Powder slated for release in February 2019, and the “Old Spice” guy has also been spotted playing our titles in commercials – our videos have been licensed for several movies, television shows and advertisements.

Thanks for this George, and happy burning.