Monologues.co.uk - is site down?

Subject: monologues.co.uk Website - down or gone?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 13 May 24 - 02:25 PM

Anybody know what happened to monologue.co.uk? I can't get anything but questionable stuff there now.

Archive.org has no good downloads for the site for 2024, but it has several from 2023.

Working link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230210234453/https://monologues.co.uk/

Subject: RE: monologues.co.uk Website - down or gone?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 May 24 - 05:19 PM

The header of the page you shared says they have 545 captures from 23 Nov 2001 - 17 Apr 2024.

When I open the Internet Archive using http://monologue.co.uk I see two dates in 2024 but nothing opens when you click those dates.

A search on "Make 'Em Laugh" website Collected and compiled by Paul Wilkinson brings up what appears to be the a typical first page of the site from Monday, January 21, 2002.

The site Hiss & Boo is about locating music hall songs and offers this breadcrumb:

Over 1,100 comic poems and monologues for men and women may be found on http://monologues.co.uk/, an extremely valuable website assembled by Paul Wilkinson under the title Make ‘Em Laugh (not to be confused with books by myself and Eric Midwinter with the same title). All the favourites are there from the repertoires of Albert Chevalier, Marriott Edgar, Stanley Holloway, Billy Bennett, Joyce Grenfell, Gracie Fields, Elsie & Doris Waters, etc. Hundreds more monologues of all kinds for all ages from the classic repertoire (Chekhov, Shakespeare, etc) are accessible on http://www.monologuearchive.com/

http://www.michaelkilgarriff.co.uk/locatingartistesandsongs.html has the same paragraph as Boo & Hiss about the site.

The good news is that the Monologue Archive Index opens with a simple organization of types of monologues and and alphabetical search by dramatist.

Subject: RE: Monologues.co.uk - is site down?
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 19 May 24 - 12:08 PM

I have just tried to look up some lyrics on Monologues.co.uk, but I am getting redirected and a NO SPONSORS message is coming up. Is the problem at my end, if so how do I sort it out, or their end, and does anyone know how to get in touch with the site owner to let them know. I have done Domain and DNS checks on their site and it looks fine, cleared my cache and cookies (which is why I am a guest at the moment and I will reset it after this message), and tried different browsers - same problem.

Subject: RE: Monologues.co.uk - is site down?
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 19 May 24 - 01:19 PM

;) 13 may


monologues.co.uk Website - down or gone?
https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=173301

Threads combined. -Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Monologues.co.uk - is site down?
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 19 May 24 - 02:47 PM

hanks, you Joe and SRS are lifesavers

Subject: RE: Monologues.co.uk - is site down?
From: DaveRo
Date: 20 May 24 - 03:11 AM

SPB-Cooperator wrote: I have just tried to look up some lyrics on Monologues.co.uk, but I am getting redirected and a NO SPONSORS message is coming up.

'Sponsors' probably refers to advertisers who pay to put their content on a website, and the 'No sponsors' message probably means that the domain is controlled by an advertising broker that offers advertisers domains (e.g. something.co.uk) on which, for a fee, they can advertise. In this case there is no advertiser willing to pay the fee and put their adverts on the site.

This can happen when the owner of a site fails to renew it and the domain is registered by the broker, which monitors expiries. They usually offer to transfer the domain back to the original owner - at a price. If enough people visit the domain the advertiser will make some money - until visitors dry up and no advertiser will sponsor it. The broker will probably then let it expire after a while.

A domain owner may sell a domain to a broker when they no longer want it or are not willing to pay for it.

Subject: RE: Monologues.co.uk - is site down?
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 20 May 24 - 08:03 AM

I checked via WHOIS and the domain is still registered and according the the DNS checker, it is working everywhere except Mexico.

I do find it pretty disturbing when the ugly side of capitalism when we are held to ransom by the hosting companies who will only allow us access to information is they get enough paid advertising Surely that should be the hosting company's job to find advertisers and bear the risks.

Alternatively, the broker could at least email a copy of the entire website content to anyone who demands it.

Subject: RE: Monologues.co.uk - is site down?
From: DaveRo
Date: 20 May 24 - 10:04 AM

A hosting company will normally warn the owner if the registration is about to expire, maybe bill you in advance. If you pay them they will reregister it on your behalf.

If, as I assume, the domain was reregistered (on 2023-11-16), the previous registration having lapsed (sometime after 12th August at a guess) the current owner - the broker - doesn't have the content. It might still be available on the original owner's webserver and accessible by anyone who knows the IP address.

Usually such websites includes a message such as 'This domain is for sale' and a contact email address and so that the previous owner can recover it if they wish. I think their system is not working correctly.

The monologues site itself, as archived, seems to give no information on who ran it. In the Song Lyrics section it says:

This, quite unique, collection of song lyrics has been put together, over a 12 year period, by a small group of friends and music hall enthusiasts.
...
As the new curator of this collection, I shall be adding to and updating the site as more material is uncovered so please feel free to get involved.

But I can find no contact information.