Oslo, Norway: Norwegian State Broadcaster NRK, has finally broadcast the ultimate programme, that Wood burners all round the world have been anxiously waiting years for. Some ask, why they took so long making the programme, it was long over due.
For many, the book 'Solid Wood: All About Chopping, Drying and Stacking Wood - and the Soul of Wood-Burning' by Lars Mytting, had to keep the Wood burners contented. Lars Myttings' book, by the way, spent more than a year on the Norwegian non-fiction bestseller list.
Rune Moeklebust, the Head of programming at NRK, initially wanted to make a whole TV series about firewood, but cut it down to a 12-hour show. The first four hours of the programme looked at the importance and historical significance of firewood. This was just the preliminary 'warming up' sequence, before the real 'live wire' action started...
At a live fireplace in an undisclosed farmhouse in Bergen, so that there was no interruption by Wood Burner 'groupies', eight hours of high action were broadcast from a live fireplace. Action shots of wood being placed onto the fire, by photographer Ingrid Tangstad Hatlevoll, who 'graciously' never appeared on the screen to ensure that no significant moment was lost during the broadcast.
NRK viewers in Norway were ringing up to advise, where exactly to place the pieces of wood on the fire. There was no dialogue, only the sound of the fire during the filming of that eight hour action broadcast.
Viewers of NRK in Norway were divided as to whether the wood should be stacked with the bark upwards or downwards. Certainly, the Norwegian State Broadcaster NRKs' programme, billed as National Firewood Night, saw host Rebecca Nedregotten Strand promise to 'try to get to the core of Norwegian firewood culture'. One viewer, confessed on the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladets' website: "I couldn't go to bed because I was so excited."
Certainly it has started a world wide debate, with the following comments;
"This is too complicated for me, its sapping my strength trying to work it out so I'm going to start a splinter group to stack it on edge, there must be a text book on it somewhere we could leaf through and maybe find there is a grain of truth in either method."
"One thing I do know, Norwegians are free to stack their wood any way they want. No interference from the EU going on there."
"The Norwegian's problem is which way wood should face, the English's problem is employment and economy. Rather be a Norwegian. If this is all Norwegians have to complain about then im moving over there."
