"Radio Times would like to apologise for a picture that has inadvertently been published in the new issue of the magazine.
It has come to our attention that an apparently innocent photo of the Royal Marines’ 42 Commando unit – printed by Radio Times in good faith and issued by Channel 5’s publicity department to promote the documentary Royal Marines: Mission Afghanistan – contains the sight of one of the marines playing a prank.
"I know that British soldiers serving in Afghanistan are well equipped, but seeing the roll call of Royal Marines gives the expression a whole new meaning,” wrote one reader in a letter to RT this morning.
The unnamed marine is, like the rest of his unit, posing for the photograph dressed only in shorts. What we took to be the marine’s finger proved, on closer inspection, to be another part of his anatomy.
We have redacted the picture above, but the 28 January issue of Radio Times magazine – on sale today, priced £1.40 – went to press before the mistake was noticed.
"We apologise for any upset caused to readers by the rogue member of 42 Commando,” said Radio Times editor Ben Preston."
