A RETIRED shipyard worker has found TikTok fame during lockdown and has received millions of views worldwide.

Russell Palmer, better known by his TikTok handle of Russpal59 or as ‘Drunk Wine Guy’, has amassed more than 118,000 followers during his time on the social media platform.

Th 61-year-old, from Barrow, said he just started doing the videos to amuse himself.

But he quickly became adored globally for his character ‘Drunk Wine Guy’ which saw him lip syncing songs with a glass of 'wine' in his hand, which is actually Vimto.

“One of the first videos I did was to ‘Islands in the Stream’ and it has had over a million views on TikTok,” the former shipyard engineer said.

“I was getting messages from all over the world and it is just me miming with a glass of ‘wine’.

“It is a very simple concept but I do have to assure people that it is Vimto in the glass and I have actually been using the same bottle since the first lockdown. I do not want to promote alcoholism or anything like that.

“I do try other videos like covering football but people seem to like this character, they get the most views.”

The social media platform is commonly thought of as a younger demographic, but the Sowerby Avenue resident said ‘the oldies are taking over’.

He said many people around his age are becoming a big hit on the app with names like Anthony Hopkins, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tom Jones all getting involved.

The amateur dramatics enthusiast admitted this is not how he saw his retirement going since he stepped away from the shipyard but vows to continue as long as his fans are enjoying his content.

“I like to make people laugh and putting smiles on faces,” Mr Palmer said.

“If we can do that in these times, that is all I need.”