The cast of "Downton Abbey" is using some bad publicity to raise money for a good cause.

On Aug. 14, a picture promoting Season 5 of the U.K. series featuring Lord Grantham (played by Hugh Bonneville) and Lady Edith (played by Laura Carmichael) was released on the Internet. To fans' surprise and amusement, the picture, which is supposed to take place in 1924, featured a water bottle, Los Angeles Times reported. It was soon removed from the show's Facebook page.

Now, those behind the series are using the scandal, dubbed "water-gate," to raise money for Wateraid, who reports that the picture was "an uncropped version of the image."

"After seeing the reaction the picture caused earlier this week, the cast and crew came up with the idea of turning some of this attention towards an issue around water that really matters," an unnamed spokesperson for ITV, where the show airs originally airs, said in a press release by WaterAid. "They hope that by posing for this picture they will be able to raise awareness and amplify the work of international charity: WaterAid."

On Saturday, a picture of the show's cast members posing with water bottles and mimicking the error was posted on "Downton Abbey's" Instagram.

"The cast of #Downton embraced 'water bottle-gate' today. To find out more, head to: www.bit.ly/wH2oopsDA #DowntonAbbey #wH2oops," the caption reads with a link to the charity.

Those who wish to donate to WaterAid can do so here or by texting "WATER" to 70007.

"It brought a really big smile to my face when the cast of 'Downton Abbey' said that they wanted to support WaterAid's work. How fantastic that the attention created over one water bottle ends up benefiting some of the world's poorest communities through access to safe, clean water today," Barbara Frost, chief executive of WaterAid, said in the release.

"Every pound and penny WaterAid receives will be matched by the U.K. Government, which means we can reach twice as many people with desperately needed clean water and sanitation."

Season 5 of 'Downton Abbey' premieres in the U.S. on PBS on Jan. 4, 2015.
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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar.

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