[1] Much of her previous work was with the acclaimed director Max Stafford-Clark for his theatre company Out of Joint where, as well as Masha in Three Sisters, she created roles such as Tess in Timberlake Wertenbaker's The Break of Day, Rima and Phoebe in Robin Soans' Talking to Terrorists, Mrs Peacham and Bett Rock in Stephen Jeffreys' The Convict's Opera and Hildy in Stella Feehily's Dreams of Violence.

Her most recent roles include Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest directed by Michael Buffong at the Curve Theatre in Leicester, Rosie in the West End production of Mamma Mia!

[citation needed] From October 2024 she will take over the role of Dolores Umbridge and Petunia Dursley in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Palace Theatre in London's West End.

Russell has starred in several television series including playing Hugh Bonneville's sister, Rachel Cazalet, in The Cazalets; Gemma Jones's daughter, Tish, in Chelworth; the title role of Elly Chandler in Chandler & Co with Barbara Flynn and subsequently Susan Fleetwood written by Paula Milne; Nathaniel Parker's wife, Helen, in The Inspector Lynley Mysteries and Martin Shaw's wife, Issy, in Always and Everyone.

Other television includes guest appearances in Messiah, Agatha Christie's Poirot, Waking the Dead, Sherlock Holmes, Maigret, Silent Witness, Holding On and Pete versus Life (series one and two) with Rafe Spall.