Standing 6' 6", Russell is a familiar and unforgettable face on British television and has appeared in numerous television series including "Boys from the Blackstuff", "Hope and Glory", "Neverwhere", "Great Expectations", "The Mists of Avalon", "Heartburn Hotel", "Roughnecks", "Monarch of the Glen", "Midsomer Murders", "Waking the Dead", "Silent Witness", "Rockface", and "Spaced". Russell has also made appearances in "Still Game", "Happiness", "Auf Wiedersehen, Pet", "Cracker" and "The Railway Children". From 2005 to 2006, Russell played Phil Nail in ITV's "Coronation Street". Russell made an appearance in "Waterloo Road" as Lisa and Lenny Brown's grandfather for one episode, also playing Billy Wilson for two in Shameless.