You're Dead to Me – Marie Curie (BBC Radio 4)

Episode Date: December 26, 2025
Host: Greg Jenner
Guests: Voice actors as Marie Curie, Pierre Curie, and others

Episode Overview

In this snappy, comedic history lesson, Greg Jenner takes listeners on an energetic journey through the extraordinary life and scientific legacy of Marie Curie. Framed with witty banter and dramatized voiceovers, this episode explores Curie as a pioneering scientist, passionate educator, double Nobel laureate, and unsung war hero. The show balances playful humor with serious appreciation for Curie's groundbreaking achievements and her resilience in the face of relentless adversity—from sexist barriers and personal tragedies to the literal dangers of her own discoveries.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Life and Education Obstacles (01:10–03:47)

• Marie’s Origins: Born Maria Sklodowska in 1867, Warsaw, Poland (then under the Russian Empire).

• Family Hardships: Youngest of five; suffered the loss of her mother and a sister to tuberculosis.

• School Success—and Barriers: Topped her class but blocked from university education due to her gender.

• Underground Learning: Attended the clandestine “Flying University” (not actually flying!), a movable, illegal school escaping Russian authorities.

  • “Some young people rebel by getting, you know, bits of their body pierced or dyeing their hair. Marie rebelled by studying chemistry.”
    — Greg Jenner (02:53)

• Sisterly Pact & Parisian Dream: Marie worked to fund her sister Bronya's Paris studies, with Bronya later returning the favor.

2. Paris and Meeting Pierre Curie (03:47–05:49)

• Study at the Sorbonne: Finally moves to Paris, studies physics and maths, aces both.
  • "It was like a new world opened to me. The world of science, which I was at last permitted to know in all liberty."
    — Marie Curie (Voice Actor) [04:00]
• Romantic Interlude (Despite Herself): Meets fellow scientist Pierre Curie—a partnership powered by shared passion for science, not just romance.
  • "Babe, you are as attractive as an electromagnetic. Let's bond together like a... like a fluorine compound."
    — Marie Curie (Voice Actor) [04:40]
• Unconventional Wedding: Wore a practical dark blue dress that doubled as her lab outfit.

3. Scientific Breakthroughs and Nobel Glory (05:49–08:57)

• The Uranium Mystery: Inspired by Henri Becquerel’s work on uranium and mysterious “radiation.”
• Discovering Polonium & Radium: Marie and Pierre discover two new elements—polonium (named for Poland) and radium.
  • "And while I'm at it, I will invent the term radioactive."
    — Marie Curie (Voice Actor) [06:55]
• Harsh Working Conditions: Most of their experiments conducted in a makeshift, leaky shed.
• First Doctorate and the Nobel Snub: Marie became the first woman in France to receive a doctorate; initially snubbed for the Nobel Prize, which only included Pierre and Becquerel.
  • Intervention by Swedish mathematician Magnus Mittag-Leffler, and Pierre, led to Marie’s rightful inclusion.
    • "He said, that is as unfair as my name is long."
      — Ad Voice / Magnus Mittag-Leffler [07:39]
    • "More effective allyship than posting a hashtag."
      — Greg Jenner [07:43]
• First Woman Nobel Laureate: Marie is the first woman to win a Nobel, shared with Pierre and Becquerel for radiation research.

4. Personal Tragedy and Unstoppable Resilience (08:57–10:11)

• Pierre’s Accidental Death: In 1906, Pierre was killed in an accident, leaving Marie devastated and alone with two daughters.
  • "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."
    — Marie Curie (Voice Actor) [08:25]
• Rises to Teach Again: Becomes the first female professor at the Sorbonne and continues to blaze a trail in science.

5. Recognition, Exclusion, and Unmatched Legacy (08:57–13:12)

• Persistent Sexism: Still denied full recognition (e.g., blocked from the French Academy of Sciences).
  • "Yeah, not quite. In 1911, the French Academy of Sciences still voted not to give her a membership. Crying out loud..."
    — Greg Jenner [08:57]
• Second Nobel Prize: In 1911, awarded the Nobel in Chemistry—becoming the only person to win Nobels in two sciences.
• Practical Impact—The Radium Institute: Founded in Pierre's honor; radium’s medical applications transform cancer therapy.
• Heroism in WWI: Developed mobile X-ray units—‘Petite Curies’—and operated them at the frontline, training her daughter, Irene.
  • "Petit Curies were game changers for injured soldiers who could now be treated more quickly and accurately... That is a very intense take your kid to work day."
    — Greg Jenner [10:39]

6. Health Costs and Enduring Influence (11:31–13:52)

• Unseen Dangers: Lifelong exposure to radiation led to chronic illness; occupational safety not yet known.
  • "Marie to start your health and safety assessment, I'm going to switch on my Geiger counter. Okay, I'll just tick the everything is dangerously radioactive box. Still, at least your desk posture is good."
    — Ad Voice [12:02]
• Radioactive Relics: Her body, notebooks, and possessions remain dangerously radioactive even today.
  • "Her body is quite literally toxic... Even her notebook is still toxic. It's so radioactive, it glows in the dark and won't be safe to touch for another 1500 years."
    — Greg Jenner [12:32]
• Posthumous Honors:
  • 1944: New element “curium” named after Marie and Pierre.
  • 1995: Marie and Pierre’s coffins moved to the Panthéon—honored among France’s greatest, “Pantheon pals” with Josephine Baker.
• Summary of Legacy: Advocate for Polish liberty, women in science, sustainable fashion (re-wearing her wedding/lab dress!), and life-saving research.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Some young people rebel by... dyeing their hair. Marie rebelled by studying chemistry.”
  — Greg Jenner [02:53]
• “Lab dress. Wedding. Practical and romantic.”
  — Marie Curie (Voice Actor) [05:44]
• "I made a device that sees inside of you."
  — Marie Curie (Voice Actor) parodying Oompa Loompas, re: mobile X-rays [10:31]
• "If this was a movie, I'd be too young to watch it. It's character-building, like an extreme D-I-Y word."
  — Marie Curie (Voice Actor) describing field surgery X-rays [10:55]
• "Okay, dying now. Don't touch my stuff. I mean, really, don't touch my stuff. It'll probably kill you."
  — Marie Curie (Voice Actor) [12:23]
• "I've been to the year 3000. Not much has changed but we can touch Marie Curie's radioactive notebook."
  — Ad Voice (parodying pop song) [12:57]
• "Curium. Sounds like a cure. It’s actually incredibly radioactive and deadly."
  "Oh, way to rub it in, guys."
  — Greg Jenner and Marie Curie (Voice Actor) [13:45–13:49]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:10 – Introduction: Marie’s childhood and education
• 03:02 – Flying University and barriers to women’s education
• 03:47 – Move to Paris; Sorbonne; meeting Pierre Curie
• 05:49 – Discovery of polonium and radium
• 07:11 – Doctorate and Nobel nomination saga
• 08:25 – Pierre's death and Marie’s return to work
• 08:57 – Second Nobel, Radium Institute, ongoing sexism
• 10:19 – World War I, ‘Petite Curies,’ frontline work
• 11:31 – Daughter Irene’s scientific success
• 12:23 – Marie’s declining health and cause of death
• 12:57 – The “radioactive notebook” and legacy items
• 13:38 – Curium discovery, Pantheon honors
• 14:29–14:51 – Quick-fire history quiz (Marie Curie’s birthplace, elements discovered, name of the mobile X-rays)

Episode Tone

Playful, witty, and educational—seamlessly blending historical facts with sharp asides, pop culture references, and clever dramatizations.

In Summary

Greg Jenner’s “You’re Dead to Me” episode delivers a whirlwind, joyful, and deeply respectful tribute to Marie Curie. It underscores both the magnitude of her accomplishments and the personal costs she bore, leavened with humor and sharp critique of the gender barriers she constantly smashed. The show is as entertaining as it is enlightening—a “history lesson with no homework required," but with plenty to think about and be inspired by.