Royal Marines highlights all the roles that make top unit

The Royal Marines is aiming to challenge the ingrained hierarchy of military roles and make the case that every specialism is a frontline one, in a new campaign that showcases the many different jobs that make the team work as an effective unit.

“No Small Roles” has been devised by Wonderhood Studios and addresses a central tension in Royal Marines: that young people drawn to the Corp will assume that becoming a Royal Marine is only about warfare and often overlook the specialisms where their individual strengths, technical aptitude, systems thinking, and precision under pressure, could make them truly exceptional.

Many young people arrive drawn to the identity of the commando, fixated on front-line combat roles, while overlooking the specialist positions where their individual strengths; technical aptitude, systems thinking, calmness under pressure, precision, adaptability could make them exceptional.

Royal Navy head of marketing Paul Colley said: “Every Marine earns the green beret. But it’s what they bring as individuals that makes this a fighting force elite. This campaign is about helping potential recruits understand that there are no small roles in the Royal Marines; only roles they haven’t yet seen themselves in. We want them to look at what they bring, not just what they want to prove.”

At the heart of the campaign is a cinematic long-form film, shot with real Royal Marines to deliver the authenticity recruits actively seek. Framed like a prestige drama with “No Small Roles. Only Leading Parts”, the film follows the full narrative arc of a mission, revealing the operational choreography that connects every specialism.

A Signals Specialist maintains the network that makes air support possible and backup reachable. A Vehicle Technician keeps the unit moving through hostile terrain, making critical decisions under pressure that determine whether the mission continues at all. Each role a lead and each contribution mission-critical.

Wonderhood Studios creative direcor Steve Hawthorne said: “When we went to Lympstone and spoke with Marines across different roles, what struck us wasn’t the difference between them, it was how similar they were. The same intensity. The same pride. The same understanding that what they do is critical. The film came from that. We wanted to show that a mission doesn’t start when Marines engage the enemy. It starts long before that. With many different roles working seamlessly together. And if you take any one out, the whole thing falls apart.”

The call to action, “There’s no small roles, only leading parts. The question is – which one is yours?” is designed to prompt self-reflection rather than simply showcase the Corp. Rather than telling recruits what the Marines looks like, the campaign invites them to consider where they might fit within it.

Colley added: “As warfare becomes increasingly technological, the roles that were once seen as behind the lines are moving to the front of the mission. This campaign reflects that reality.”

Marking a first for the Royal Marines marketing, the film was shot in Norway, and features arctic terrain, a significant and growing component of the Corps’ training programme. Directed by Martin Stirling through Partizan, the production brings a raw, documentary-inflected quality to the work, with cinematography by Carl Burke.

The campaign will run across Royal Marines owned channels, including the website and the Commando Ready app.