8-across – Army building plastic toy to entertain wife in Texas game : FORTYTWO

9-across – Revulsion has a benefit in North America : NAUSEA

10-across – Tree, redhead behind one : ACER

11-across – Commemorative elegy finally written after actor died, sadly : DEDICATORY

12-across – Archer’s game : BRIDGE

14-across – Balderdash, feature defining itself, nothing less, with name : NONSENSE

15-across – I shine brightly in game as author : WILLIAM

17-across – That woman’s order to collect is for valour : HEROISM

20-across – At lunchtime, change clothes for game : PATIENCE

22-across – 2s in the Church heading off commoners : CELEBS

23-across – Rotten melons once dropping off in such a state : SOMNOLENCE

24-across – Card in 7, perhaps? : CLUB

25-across – Like 8 on board game : SEVENS

26-across – Game in Cluedo set straight : UNCOILED

1-down – Bruckner’s Fourth, then moving to nicer orchestral works : CONCERTI

2-down – Leading traitors promoted : STAR

3-down – Heavy food, say … brought up : STODGE

4-down – See 15 : GOLDING

5-down – Hide in 25 concealed : ENSCONCE

6-down – Game, passing over to boxing judge, leaves at the count of four? : QUATREFOIL

7-down – Scottish team game : HEARTS

13-down – Ultimately short-lived relationships? : DALLIANCES

16-down – Chronicler writing article on Stalin inaccurately : ANNALIST

18-down – Scottish island in very cold game : SUBBUTEO

19-down – Man I mind, as hateful : HEINOUS

21-down – God swallows up Australian island group : AZORES

22-down – Grip top fish under edges in creel : CLENCH

24-down – Cheat in game : CRIB

1-across – Fish steeped in drink is a big change : SHAKEUP

5-across – Weed, by the way, is a 1930s’ classic : TOBACCO

9-across – Gloomy day nurse : DREAR

10-across – Dancing in hipsters all but produces kidney problem : NEPHRITIS

11-across – Consider high street chain’s rustic? : COUNTRYMAN

12-across – See 5 : ROAD

14-across – Some rocky resort of Crimea, a continental meeting place : MESOAMERICA

18-across – Foreign caste restricted by civil arm of repressive government : POLICESTATE

21-across – See 4 : LANE

22-across – Jumping flea on sailing boat, which can bite through to the vein : LEAFCUTTER

25-across – Strange start to ungainly forehand smash : UNHEARDOF

26-across – A toady said piled up : AHEAP

27-across – Showered right in sterilised environment? : SPRAYED

28-across – Rotter takes flow controller’s dregs : HEELTAP

1-down – Undo leading edge of stage and draw out : SEDUCE

2-down – See 23 : AVENUE

3-down – Pop duo’s chemistry’s working, having united : EURYTHMICS

4-down – The ’60s hit career of Lenny : PENNY

5-down – VIP first spotted in a bunch? : TOPBANANA

6-down – Tidal wave drag : BORE

7-down – Comprehensive’s gripe about woolly hat : CATHOLIC

8-down – Outside broadcast about Pluto, taking in a molten volcanic rock : OBSIDIAN

13-down – Boyfriend possibly holding end of the firearm up, being free from controls : DEREGULATE

15-down – Sulphur introduced to drink — finished in the air : SUSPENDED

16-down – Is appreciative of software containing binary regression : APPLAUDS

17-down – Who embraces decisive argument? : CLINCHER

19-down – See 24 : STREET

20-down – Appear with whip raised : CROPUP

23-down – If having upturned feet, entertain in the altogether dateless attraction of New York : FIFTH

24-down – Star, eyes rolling, appears in hit movie as a route to affluence : EASY

1-across – Ordered fireman to preserve world heritage site : MINARETOFJAM

9-across – Noble matter : COUNT

10-across – Ruddy stag party members start to arrive in Irish town : BALLYMENA

11-across – Porn content extended to go beyond agreed limit : OVERRUN

12-across – Beast in beret’s no musical backing : MONSTER

13-across – Sort of fields amongst high waters by rivers : STRAWBERRY

15-across – Spot? Yes, essentially a mole : ESPY

18-across – Father, we have sinned — last two leaving one of the Orkney Islands : PAPA

19-across – Jumbo crossword compilers? They’re often 5 : JETSETTERS

22-across – See 18 : WESTRAY

24-across – Repair of these second houses still to be detailed in expense accounts : SWINDLE

25-across – Concession from NATO? For one, that hurt : ALLOWANCE

26-across – Letter from Greece returning share in full : UNCUT

27-across – Play set in ultimately the worst off part of London : TOWERHAMLETS

1-down – Timid person tentatively starting to blame inferior cheese : MOUSETRAP

2-down – Hazel’s cooking won’t burn : NUTBROWN

3-down – Ex-PM reading book in shower? : RABIN

4-down – TV scores for skiing moves : TELEMARKS

5-down – Hurried up? : FLYING

6-down – Playing Real, gets little time on the ball : ALERT

7-down – Type of clue with answer X : ACROSS

8-down – Pretty mechanical? Just Bottom, enthralled by Puck, perhaps : FAIRLY

14-down – All in? Completely! : EVERYINCH

16-down – Some of those 5 get led astray? What a pity about that : SHELDUCKS

17-down – Pose as model in topless play : ATTITUDE

18-down – Fruit women put in babyfood as winter starts : PAWPAW

20-down – See 24 across : SHEETS

21-down – Be a surfer, initially wearing surprisingly sober clothes : BROWSE

23-down – Bombardment of note across area 11 by 5 : SALVO

24-down – Some yards per minute swimmers : SPERM

9-across – A corresponding housing area that’s sweet : ASPARTAME

10-across – Jumbo’s end jumbo’s end! : OMEGA

11-across – Reel composer, heading off, leaves : SPINACH

12-across – See 18 : METHERE

13-across – Musical soldiers : GIGI

14-across – Wood with incense right for skin condition : NETTLERASH

16-across – Song left for John Lennon, perhaps : AIRPORT

17-across – Easy in gold and bronze positions, one speaking as a trier : ESSAYER

19-across – Clever man, butcher slices bird : DICKCISSEL

22-across – Car check unfinished : AUDI

24-across – Measure of land close to allotment in concern for men? : HECTARE

25-across – Wed, married, I had wife — yikes! : MIDWEEK

26-across – Source of communication that’s acidic? : PHONE

27-across – Besmirch business, VW, in The Merchant of Venice : MARCOPOLO

1-down – Practice of biltong eaters died in invention of 11 dish : SAUSAGEANDCHIPS

2-down – Spot not half, double the dog! : SPRINGER

3-down – One enthralled by conventional chord : TRIAD

4-down – Capital city in county right under one’s nose? : TASHKENT

5-down – Number theorem ends in stunt, as mathematician : FERMAT

6-down – Point made another way : NORTHEAST

7-down – Nero’s tutor offering brief kiss in the main : SENECA

8-down – Jerk from Ikea has lock to screw up : MAKEAHORLICKSOF

15-down – Not seen in public once ale downed : CONCEALED

17-down – Minister in eastern capital travelling north, always : EVERMORE

18-down – I don’t know the answer that’s in vogue, yet theorem fashionable : YOUVEGOT

20-down – Out of one’s tree one flies : CUCKOO

21-down – Second drink well hot : STEAMY

23-down – Thus I depart after initially turning up — toodle-oo! : ADIOS

1-across – Dominant media figure like Clarkson is a threat to the country : FIFTHCOLUMNIST

9-across – Retirement cover taken out with anger : NIGHTWEAR

10-across – Insist on the formal you in French language? : BANTU

11-across – Couple finally leaving trendy US tourist site : ALAMO

12-across – Surrey’s opener has wish to boast, intimidating fieldsman : SCARECROW

13-across – Back from theatre, writing about stage accents : EMPHASES

14-across – Run through Caucasian’s confession : IMPALE

17-across – Azzurri’s capital right back gets a shock : TREMOR

19-across – American’s behind learner in Lincoln after parking OK : PASSABLE

22-across – Leader of infantry overcome by lethargy, getting mobile unit : LIGHTYEAR

24-across – Artist turned over another’s tapestry : ARRAS

25-across – Film, one as sequel to novel : SHEET

26-across – German or Chinese food not quite hot : FRIEDRICH

27-across – Formed cult with no violence, murder or exaltation? : COLLECTIVENOUN

1-down – What might make you donate millions to nurture a crazy jihadist movement? : FUNDAMENTALISM

2-down – Light and stylish dandy’s clothing : FOGLAMP

3-down – Getting stolen primate across America is a delicate matter : HOTPOTATO

4-down – Master love poetry with a little uncertainty : OVERSEER

5-down – Commotion from leading Republican, one having a row : UPROAR

6-down – Peer into novel, bonkbuster that’s picked up : NOBLE

7-down – Crooned tune, up for a drink : SANGRIA

8-down – Define where USA’s deployed for so long abroad : AUFWIEDERSEHEN

15-down – Badly treat girl, forgetting second name : MISHANDLE

16-down – Arab statesman’s cry of disgust, with damp conditions reported : BAHRAINI

18-down – Artist, a noted British artist, wanting area green : ELGRECO

20-down – Bus mostly runs, or it fails to get Mexican’s fare : BURRITO

21-down – Wilde, if iconoclastic, is essentially divine : DEIFIC

23-down – Add 1 and 50 together in sum : TOTAL