Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn information

Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn was a 1993 documentary television series filmed on location in some of the world's most beautiful, noteworthy gardens, hosted by Audrey Hepburn, who also co-narrates the series with Michael York.

Audrey Hepburn, who loved nature and gardens, saw a rare opportunity to bring forth their beauty in poetic and meaningful ways in Gardens of the World. Her unique vision of the series included fusing the historical and aesthetic aspects with the arts of literature, music and painting. She was awarded her Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement, Informational Programming, posthumously in the fall of 1993.^[1] It was Hepburn's first and only television series, and her final appearance on screen; she died on January 20, 1993, four days before the series debuted on PBS in the United States.

Audrey Hepburn's principal photography was filmed in the spring and summer of 1990 in illustrious public and private gardens in England, France, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Dominican Republic, & U.S.A. Her life partner Robert Wolders was with Hepburn throughout the production: "It became an intensely personal and creative process for her. She immersed herself in not only the beauty of the gardens, but also in their origins and evolution." Also that summer Hepburn wrote her foreword to the series' companion book from her home in Tolochenaz, Switzerland.^[2]

In January 1991, Hepburn recorded her voice over narration at LaserPacific in Hollywood; the same month “Audrey Hepburn's Grand Garden Tour for PBS” was the cover story of House & Garden.^[3] Writer Katherine Whiteside noted, "Hepburn emphasizes the timeliness of Gardens of the World and its relevance to her work with UNICEF. 'Everyone's concerned with the environment, but of course environment includes flowers and trees as well as children. One cannot survive without the others. Today more than ever, gardens remind us of the beauty we are in danger of losing.'"

In New York on March 6, 1991, Cartier honored Hepburn and Gardens of the World with a High Tea reception at their Fifth Avenue Mansion; the following day, Ralph Lauren hosted the occasion of her book signing at his flagship store on 72nd Street and Madison Avenue. About which Dominick Dunne wrote, “the crowds were so great that the line extended from Madison all the way to Park Avenue.” These occasions preceded PBS’ March premiere of a one-hour Gardens of the World introductory special.

The PBS premiere of the six-part series commenced in 1993, on January 24th. However, KCET Los Angeles premiered the first episode of the series, Roses & Rose Gardens, three days earlier on January 21st. Heartwrendingly, the same day the Los Angeles times published Hepburn's obituary and their review of Roses. “It is hard to imagine any more compelling [title] than the half-hour spent wandering through some of the world's most enchanting rose gardens with one of the world's most enchanting women.”

Two further episodes^[4] premiered in January 1996, along with a re-release of the six-part series on Home & Garden Television. The series was shown internationally by top broadcasters in more than 30 countries. A DVD of all 8 programs was released in 1999; in September 2006, an extended DVD Tribute Edition was released.