This joke is frequently quoted on the internet, and often attributed to famous figures in electronics (such as an apocryphal CEO of Nintendo, "Kristian Wilson," although Hiroshi Yamauchi held that position from 1949 to 2002). Brigstocke vehemently claims authorship of the joke:

He moved to London with his then girlfriend, later wife, during the early 1990s. Brigstocke worked part-time as a podium Dancer at the nightclub Ministry of Sound. He also worked on a North Sea oil rig around this time.

Brigstocke has a successful radio career including The Now Show (1998-, with Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis) and Giles Wemmbley-Hogg Goes Off (2002-2011). The Now Show provided an outlet for his fierce dislike of David Blaine, referring to Blaine himself as a "Git Wizard", and his "Above The Below" stunt as Freakdangle. Brigstocke hailed the failure of Blaine's "Drowned Alive" as proof that Blaine is "not special; not magic; just a moistened git". Brigstocke increasingly enjoyed mainstream success, appearing on such broadly popular television shows such as Have I Got News for You (1990-) and Jack Dee's Live at the Apollo series (2004-).

In 2000, a sample of a comedy Sketch performed by Brigstocke, Dan Tetsell and Danny Robins in the Sketch show Barking as part of a Bristol University revue in which an individual assuredly proclaims that he is a non-smoker was featured in DJ Dee Kline's "I Don't Smoke", alongside another line in the style of Jim Davidson's character 'Chalky White'.

He has also worked for television shows aimed at children for CBBC: Stupid! (2004-2007) and Sorry I've Got No Head (2008-2011).

Brigstocke hosts a satirical programme on BBC4, The Late Edition (2005-2008), which has been described as "Newsnight with jokes". It is loosely based on the format made popular by the American programme The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. This commitment led to his absence from the final two Now Show series of 2006 with his place filled by other comedians, referred to by the rest of the cast as "our replacement Marcus Brigstocke". He did however return to series in 2007.

Brigstocke took part in the BBC programme Excuse My French (2006) with Ron Atkinson and Esther Rantzen. The programme was broadcast on BBC Two. They were immersed in the French language by staying in a French town in the Provence region, being compelled to adapt to the French lifestyle and speak the language.

During an episode of The Late Edition in October 2007, Brigstocke noted that he was an atheist and was presented with an Out Campaign T-shirt by his guest and atheist Richard Dawkins to which Brigstocke replied: "Look at that. Outed, outed as an atheist and proud to be so."

In September 2008, Brigstocke was team captain for the first series of a comedy panel show, Argumental (2008-2012), for British television channel Dave. He served as the Captain of the Red Team, competing against Rufus Hound with a variety of guest participants, under the chairmanship of John Sergeant.

During an appearance on The One Show in July 2009, Brigstocke reflected that "a lot of people have signed up to the Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens thing", and on being an atheist, that "I was, I probably still am, but I'm not so sure now. It can be a sort of weird and quite a cold experience, actually, if you don't then develop something to believe in."

Brigstocke endorsed Caroline Lucas and the Green Party in their successful campaign for the seat of Brighton Pavilion in the 2010 General Election.

Brigstocke enjoys snowboarding – he has set up a stand-up tour in the Alps and a comedy festival called The Altitude Festival. He has performed in beatboxing battles on stage with Shlomo and Bellatrix.

In late 2017 Brigstocke played the title role in a revival of Barnum at the Menier Chocolate Factory. For this, he acquired specialist circus skills including magic and walking a tightrope. He chronicled his motivation and progress in an article for The Guardian.