Marie Curie

Dead Funny History: Marie Curie. Join historian Greg Jenner for a fast-paced, funny and fascinating journey through the life of Marie Curie; scientific legend, double Nobel Prize winner, war hero, and all-round icon. This episode of Dead Funny History is packed with jokes, sketches and sound effects that bring Marie’s story to life for families and Key Stage 2 learners. From her rebellious education at the Flying University to her groundbreaking discoveries in radiation, Marie’s life was anything but ordinary. Learn how she defied the odds to study science in Paris, fell in love with fellow scientist Pierre Curie, and discovered two brand new elements: Polonium and Radium. Discover how she coined the term “radioactive,” worked in a leaky shed, and became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize… then won another one. But it wasn’t all lab coats and accolades. Marie faced sexism, heartbreak, and serious health risks from her research. After Pierre’s tragic death, she carried on their work, founded the Radium Institute, and developed mobile X-ray units, Petite Curies, to help soldiers in World War One. Her legacy lives on in cancer treatment, scientific innovation, and the radioactive glow of her still-dangerous notebook. Expect musical parodies, sketch comedy, and a quiz to test what you’ve learned. It’s history with heart, humour and high production value. Perfect for curious kids, families, and fans of You’re Dead To Me. Written by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch, Athena Kugblenu and Dr Emma Nagouse Host: Greg Jenner Performers: Mali Ann Rees and John-Luke Roberts Producer: Dr Emma Nagouse Associate Producer: Gabby Hutchinson Crouch Audio Producer: Emma Weatherill Script Consultant: Professor Iwan Morus Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Production Manager: Jo Kyle Sound Designer: Peregrine Andrews A BBC Studios Production

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

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• 1:08Greg Jenner?

  Hello and welcome to Dead Funny History. I'm Greg Jenner. I'm a historian and I want to tell you about someone cool. Today, we are talking about a woman who was as rock and roll as she was clever. Marie Curie discovered brand new elements, won awards and used physics and chemistry to completely change the way we understand science. Marie was born Marie Sklodowska in 1867 in Warsaw, Poland, which at that point was part of the Russian Empire. Marie was the youngest of five kids, Sofia, Joseph, Bronislava, known as Bronya, and Helena. Both of her parents, Bronislava and Vladislav, were teachers and cared passionately about

• 1:53Greg Jenner?

  their education. But sadly, both her mum and one of her sisters died of TB when Marie was young. When she was 10, Marie went to school and did really well. She ended up top of her class. But when they got older, Marie and her sister Bronya weren't able to go to university because they were women. What? I know. Both Marie and Bronya attended an illegal underground school called the Flying University.

• 2:25Greg Jenner?

  Not that type of flying. It was also sometimes called the Floating University. It wasn't on a boat either. It meant that they had to keep moving locations to escape detection by the authorities.

• 2:38Speaker 04

  Psst, psst, hey, hey. You're looking for some, uh, education, huh, are ya? What do you want? I got, uh, I got physics, chemistry, biology, sociology. In fact, I've got, uh, got all theologies.

• 2:50Greg Jenner?

  Some young people rebelled by getting, you know, bits of their body pierced or dying their hair. Marie rebelled by studying chemistry.

• 3:00Speaker 05

  I'm staying in and reading one more chapter of my chemistry textbook. And you can't stop me. And I've eaten all my vegetables, so z'air.

• 3:10Greg Jenner?

  Marie had big dreams of studying at the Sorbonne University in Paris in France. But their family couldn't afford it. So Bronya and Marie struck a deal. Marie got a job to fund Bronya's education and then Bronya would return the favour. Now that goes way above and beyond the usual sisterly sharing. Much better than letting her use your Game Pass subscription.

• 3:35Greg Jenner?

  In 1894, a 24-year-old Marie finally got her chance to go to the Sorbonne.

• 3:42Speaker 05

  In Paris, the city of romance. Excuse you, I'm here for science, not love.

• 3:49Greg Jenner?

  Although Marie could only afford to live in a very cold attic room, she was finally living her dream and she wrote in her diary.

• 3:58Speaker 05

  It was like a new world opened to me. The world of science, which I was at last permitted to know in all liberty.

• 4:08Greg Jenner?

  And Marie did brilliantly, completing master's degrees in maths and physics with flying colours in just three years. But that wasn't all Paris had in store for Marie. While she was looking for a lab to do her science work in, she met another scientist called Pierre Curie. Bonjour. Like Marie, Pierre was passionate about science and education. Let's just say that they had very good chemistry.

• 4:38Speaker 05

  Babe, you are as attractive as an electromagnetic magnet. Let's bond together like a fluorine compound.

• 4:48Speaker 06

  I'm going to call you my adrogeon because you're my number one.

• 4:57Greg Jenner?

  They fell in love.

• 4:58Speaker 05

  Maybe I am in Paris for love after all. Thanks, city of romance.

• 5:05Speaker 04

  You are welcome!

• 5:08Greg Jenner?

  Marie was proud to be Polish and wanted to return home to study at Krakow University. But they still wouldn't give her a place because she was a woman.

• 5:19Greg Jenner?

  I know, I know! So Marie decided to stay in Paris and Marie and Pierre were married in 1895.

• 5:26Speaker 04

  A white wedding! Romantic!

• 5:29Greg Jenner?

  Not quite! Not only was it a non-religious ceremony, but Marie thought it was silly to spend all that money on a white dress she'd never wear again. So instead, she wore a dark blue dress, which she famously used as her lab uniform.

• 5:42Speaker 05

  A lab dress wedding. Practical and romantic.

• 5:47Greg Jenner?

  The Currys became interested in the work of French scientist Henri Becquerel, who was doing fascinating experiments with an element called uranium. And he had discovered that it gave off its own strange energy called radiation. Marie's own research into uranium fundamentally changed people's thoughts about science. Previously, the atom was thought to be the smallest possible thing. Couldn't possibly be divided into anything smaller. But Marie disproved that. And as if that wasn't enough, Marie and Pierre also discovered two brand-new elements. You cannot underestimate the significance of discovering not one, but two new elements.

• 6:29Greg Jenner?

  It was like that moment when Justin Bieber was discovered on YouTube, combined with the discovery that peanut butter and jam go really well together. Marie and Pierre called these new elements...

• 6:40Speaker 05

  Polonium, after my beloved Poland.

• 6:43Greg Jenner?

  And?

• 6:44Speaker 05

  Radium, because it's radioactive. And voilà, I will invent the term radioactive.

• 6:53Greg Jenner?

  This was huge. And since they didn't get much support from the university, Marie and Pierre Currie did most of that work in a leaky shed. Not ideal.

• 7:05Speaker 06

  I walked my handsome leg into a bucket.

• 7:09Greg Jenner?

  In 1903, Marie received her doctorate, becoming the first woman in France to get one. Her research was declared to have done more for science than any previous thesis, and she was rewarded by not being nominated for the Nobel Prize alongside her husband Pierre and Henri Becquerel for their work on radiation.

• 7:29Speaker 05

  Oh, for goodness' sake!

• 7:31Greg Jenner?

  But a Swedish mathematician named Magnus Jostar-Mittag Lefler found out about it, and he said: That is as unfair as my name is long. He and Pierre insisted that Marie's name be included too. More effective allyship than posting a hashtag. #You'reWelcome. Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and the award changed the lives of the Curies. Things were looking up. Hooray! But then things were looking down. In 1906, Pierre tragically died after falling under a horse-drawn cart, leaving behind a devastated Marie and their two daughters, Ev and Irene.

• 8:12Greg Jenner?

  Marie was heartbroken, but went back to work to become the first woman physics professor at the Sorbonne University. She wrote in her diary:

• 8:22Speaker 05

  Crushed by the blow, I did not feel able to face the future. I could not forget, however, what my husband used to sometimes to say: "That even deprived of him, I ought to continue my work."

• 8:36Greg Jenner?

  Marie continued to do groundbreaking science and rack up loads of impressive accolades. By 1909, she had finally got her own lab in Paris. No more leaky sheds!

• 8:47Speaker 05

  Goodbye, mockpockets! Hello, professional respect of my peers!

• 8:54Greg Jenner?

  Eh, not quite. In 1911, the French Academy of Sciences still voted not to give her a membership.

• 9:02Speaker 05

  For crying out loud!

• 9:04Greg Jenner?

  But remember, Al-Marie was a scientific rock star. And despite these setbacks, later in 1911, she was awarded a second Nobel Prize, this time in chemistry. She remains the only person ever to win two Nobel Prizes in two scientific fields.

• 9:28Greg Jenner?

  Marie may have lost Pierre, but she was determined to use her work to save lives and to keep the memory of Pierre alive too. She opened the radium institute in Pierre's memory.

• 9:40Speaker 06

  Oh, thanks babe. It's what hot Pierre always wanted.

• 9:46Greg Jenner?

  Radium can damage living flesh, and the Curies research, which still carries on today at their institute, completely changed how we treat diseases like cancer. But that wasn't all. Marie's work became really important when World War One began. Now, after years of playing second fiddle to men, she could easily have just said,

• 10:10Speaker 05

  Oh, look who's coming crawling now to gurnly Marie from Poland.

• 10:17Greg Jenner?

  But instead, Marie used her knowledge to develop a fleet of mobile X-ray units called Petite Curies. What, lots of little Marie Curies like Oompa Loompas? No, although that would have been cool though.

• 10:29Speaker 05

  Petite Curie du petit do. I made a device that sees inside of you.

• 10:36Greg Jenner?

  Petite Curies were game changers for injured soldiers who could now be treated more quickly and accurately. Marie operated the X-ray machines herself on the front line, training her daughter Irene to do the same. That is a very intense take your kid to work day.

• 10:53Speaker 05

  The bone is sticking out of the flesh. We'll take an X-ray to make sure no bits are in this eye.

• 11:00Speaker 04

  FYI, if this was a movie, I'd be too young to watch it.

• 11:05Speaker 05

  It's character building like an extreme Dearie Award.

• 11:11Greg Jenner?

  Marie was a war hero. Go Marie! And go Irene, who became a scientist just like her mum and dad. In 1934, Irene was up for a Nobel Prize. As celeb kids' achievements go, it's a world away from Brooklyn Beckham's photos. Take your lens cap off, Brooklyn. Sadly, Marie didn't get to see Irene get her award, as on the 4th of July, 1934...

• 11:35Speaker 05

  Oh, I'm feeling quite ill. In fact, I've been feeling ill since the 1920s.

• 11:42Greg Jenner?

  Tragically, even though radium has the power to do amazing things, it's also extremely dangerous. Throughout their lives, both Marie and Pierre were constantly unwell, but they didn't know that radium exposure was so bad for them. Occupational health obviously wasn't a thing in those days.

• 12:00Speaker 00

  Marie, to start your health and safety assessment, I'm going to switch on my Geiger counter.

• 12:07Speaker 00

  Okay. I'll just tick the "everything is dangerously radioactive" box. Still, at least your desk posture is good.

• 12:15Greg Jenner?

  Marie Curie died aged 66, probably from a blood disease caused by too much exposure to radium.

• 12:21Speaker 05

  Okay, dying now. Don't touch my stuff. I mean, really, don't touch my stuff, it'll probably kill you.

• 12:30Greg Jenner?

  Marie dedicated so much time to studying radium, she became radioactive herself. Her body is quite literally...

• 12:37Speaker 05

  Toxic.

• 12:40Greg Jenner?

  Marie even had to be buried in a coffin lined with lead to keep other people safe from her. Even her notebook is still...

• 12:48Speaker 05

  Toxic.

• 12:48Greg Jenner?

  It's so radioactive, it glows in the dark and won't be safe to touch for another 1,500 years.

• 12:55Speaker 00

  I've been to the year 3000. Not much has changed, but we can touch Marie Curie's radioactive notebook. And your great-great-great-granddaughter probably has a Nobel Prize. A Nobel Prize.

• 13:10Greg Jenner?

  Marie Curie's legacy is amazing. A groundbreaking scientist, an advocate for Polish liberty, for women's education, a double Nobel Prize winner, a war hero, and an innovator whose discoveries have saved countless lives. And, as she didn't let her wedding dress go to waste in the attic, also an advocate for sustainable fashion. In 1944, Marie and Pierre even had a newly discovered element named after them.

• 13:36Speaker 06

  Oh, thank you, baby.

• 13:39Speaker 05

  It's what we've always wanted.

• 13:43Greg Jenner?

  Curium sounds like a cure. It's actually incredibly radioactive and deadly.

• 13:47Speaker 06

  Oh.

• 13:47Speaker 05

  Way to rub it in, guys.

• 13:50Greg Jenner?

  And in 1995, Marie and Pierre's coffins were moved, very carefully, because, you know.

• 13:56Speaker 05

  Tax-ack.

• 13:59Greg Jenner?

  And they were placed in Paris's Pantheon of Heroes.

• 14:02Speaker 00

  Hang on, Greg. You've already covered a woman immigrant war hero who is honoured in the Pantheon of Heroes in the Josephine Baker episode.

• 14:08Greg Jenner?

  Yeah, Marie is National Hero Pantheon pals with Josephine Baker.

• 14:14Greg Jenner?

  Legends both. So how much do you remember from today's speedy history lesson? Let's find out. Pencils at the ready. Question one: Where was Marie Curie born?

• 14:27Speaker 05

  Warsaw, Poland.

• 14:29Greg Jenner?

  Question two: Name one of the two elements that Marie and Pierre Curie discovered.

• 14:36Speaker 00

  Radium and polonium.

• 14:39Greg Jenner?

  Question three: What were the mobile X-ray units that Marie and Irén used to help out in World War One?

• 14:47Speaker 05

  Petite Curies.

• 14:49Greg Jenner?

  Well done. Join us next time for another snappy history lesson. Thanks for listening. Bye. This was a BBC Studios audio production for Radio 4. Dead Funny History was written by Gabby Hutchinson-Crouch, Athena Kugblenu and Dr Emma Nagouse. The researcher was Dr Emmy Rose Price Goodfellow. It was hosted by me, Greg Jenner, and performed by Malian Rees and John Luke Roberts. The script consultant was Professor Ewan Morris.

• 15:18Speaker 07

  Hi, it's India here. I'm very excited to bring you the return of child. So we've been on the journey of an embryo all the way to a baby's first birthday. And now we are going to enter the explosive life of the toddler. Because this is the perfect place to unpick the very complicated world of emotions, the emotions that affect us all. So come with us as over eight episodes, we fall through the abundant and dizzying world of happiness, descend into the depths of fear and the gendered and dangerous world of anger, and then crawl, wobble and bounce our way through awe, love, anxiety and surprise.

• 15:59Speaker 07

  From BBC Radio 4, this is Child with me, India Rakassan. Listen first on BBC Sounds.

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