
Presented by Andrew Mueller, Monocle’s flagship global-affairs show features expert guests and in-depth analysis of the big issues of the week. Nominated for ‘Best Current Affairs’ show and the ‘Spotlight Award’ in the 2022 British Podcast Awards.
| Publishes | Twice weekly | Episodes | 103 | Founded | 13 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | PoliticsNewsNews Commentary | |||

The AfD’s victory in Saxony-Anhalt tweaked a nerve in Germany and across Europe. We examine how it won, its leaders’ plans and the media’s role in the rise of the far right.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Explainer 534: Jamaica’s government is seeking legal guidance from King Charles on receiving reparations. What issues lie at the heart of this request? And how is London likely to respond?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A special episode in association with Hitachi Energy, recorded at ONS 2026 in Stavanger, Norway. Andrew Mueller discusses the challenges and opportunities of the energy transition with Arancha González Laya, Tinne Van der Straeten, Stephen Bull and S... more
Despite its troubled history, nuclear energy is back on the agenda across the globe. Could it be our saviour? And what are the strategic risks for nations that aren’t keeping up with the energy renaissance?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in... more
People also subscribe to these shows.





Excellent listen, every week, pretty much without fail. Feels like an oasis of calm, reasoned analysis in a very uncertain world...
Andrew is natural.
Nothing sensible. She’s a fascist
A very interesting approach and informative .But some of the language used didn’t seem unbiased .Is this meant to be his Personal opinion with no attempt at a non biased journalistic Approach?
Very much enjoy the foreign desk, it’s my go to for long journeys in the car, of which there are many. Top level guests, a refreshing and enlightened slant with just the perfect dash of charisma. Love it. Thanks guys keep it up x
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Apple Podcasts | #175 | |
Apple Podcasts | #203 | |
Apple Podcasts | #146 | |
Apple Podcasts | #43 | |
Apple Podcasts | #56 | |
Apple Podcasts | #81 |
Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
| Listeners per Episode | |
|---|---|
| Gender Skew | |
| Location | |
| Interests | |
| Professions | |
| Age Range | |
| Household Income | |
| Social Media Reach |
A sharp, globally focused current affairs program featuring high-level discussions with policy makers, analysts, and journalists. Episodes commonly unpack strategic geopolitics, international security, diplomacy, and regional economics, often blending historical context with present-day decision making. A standout trait is the host's dry wit and the breadth of guests, which together deliver nuanced analysis without sacrificing accessibility. The show frequently weighs military, economic, and political dimensions, offering listeners insight into how global events unfold and what they mean for business, policy, and public discourse.
Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Foreign Desk. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Foreign Desk and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.
Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Foreign Desk, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.
Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Foreign Desk, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.
To see how many followers or subscribers The Foreign Desk has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.
These podcasts share a similar audience with The Foreign Desk:
1. The Briefing
2. The Monocle Daily
3. The Globalist
4. Monocle on Sunday
5. The Urbanist
The Foreign Desk launched 13 years ago and published 103 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.
Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Foreign Desk from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.
View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.
Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Foreign Desk. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.
Recent guests on The Foreign Desk include:
1. Mark Montgomery
2. Dina Esfandiary
3. Stephen Wertheim
4. Oana Lungescu
5. Hanno Pevkur
6. Dr. Lamy Kim
7. Holly Otterbein
8. Usama Andrabi
To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.