For Channel 4, Tonkinson has appeared in The Big Breakfast, Take the Mike, Pop Gun, Top Ten and Dicing With Debt.
There, he initially presented a variety of daytime shows to become familiar to listeners, before taking over the Drivetime slot from Richard Bacon.
Following the sudden departure of Lauren Laverne from the Breakfast Show in April 2007, producers called on his experience in Manchester and asked him to step in.
Tonkinson has latterly presented the syndicated Saturday lunchtime show, a slot previously occupied by Lauren Laverne, Adam & Joe, and Ricky Gervais/Stephen Merchant, before leaving radio work completely to focus on stand-up comedy.
In January 2020, Tonkinson's first book, 26.2 Miles to Happiness: A Comedian's Tale of Running, Red Wine and Redemption was published by Bloomsbury Sport.