9-across – Dunce may have this one castrated : CAPON

10-across – Overseas ruler making figure of 8s : BRITANNIA

11-across – K-Y stain unfortunately left after game with hookers : RUSTYNAIL

12-across – Become registered company in US once name changed to Lambert : ENROL

13-across – Hand over!, said one primarily into money : OVATION

15-across – Backing group into rock’n’roll is Busted, apparently : TOPLESS

17-across – Fish no 18 worries : FRETS

18-across – See 16 : DOG

20-across – Pants, if just 15 : AWFUL

22-across – Standard stop signal in song : REDFLAG

25-across – Funny reaction in left ear, when raving about Fifty Shades of Grey? : ALLERGY

26-across – Caught one fish that’s smoked : CIGAR

27-across – KFC business, not half struggling, must take in a thousand before ends meet : BUCKSFIZZ

30-across – Works in a store sadly after college : CREATIONS

31-across – Cavalryman backed in National Hunt : UHLAN

1-down – Bit of caviare cat’s taken up a tree : ACER

2-down – Rat-a-tat in advance : APOSTATE

3-down – Sweet 15 guy : ANDY

4-down – Got a bit done at work : OBTAINED

5-down – KLM and I flipping get around! : GIMLET

6-down – Hotel option when you’ve come to visit : WAKEUPCALL

7-down – Wrong ’un gets tortured now and then : UNTRUE

8-down – See 26 : TAIL

13-down – Show 15 chest : OFFER

14-down – Setter has 11, drunk in isolation : INSULARITY

16-down – KD Lang’s unnamed toy boy’s half crazy : SALTY

19-down – Doctor agrees I can initially get fit to Olympic standards? : GRAECISE

21-down – Convincing Catholic to wear odd habit : FORCIBLE

23-down – Determined to find horse in dictionary under D : DOGGED

24-down – KGB captures one relative : GIBSON

26-down – The definitive K9 18 : COCK

28-down – KO certain, without reaching last round : SOUR

29-down – Mad as the last one, the one before last : ZANY

9-across – Spooner’s rejection of dog snack? : POTNOODLE

10-across – Wander past Tate’s first valuable collection : TROVE

11-across – Hostile moves elected colonialist in Africa, reportedly? : INROADS

12-across – One on girl’s head in woven plait? : PIGTAIL

13-across – Leaden protagonist in erotic novel : GREY

14-across – Fool to admit stupid, a wise character : JEDIMASTER

16-across – Rovers team : RANGERS

17-across – Walls of cement ideal for building fortress : CITADEL

19-across – Pompous official heading for presidency, a month in and needing a drink : PANJANDRUM

22-across – Rejection of plans as probable junk : SPAM

24-across – Caught breaking into it, keen criminal — one collared? : NECKTIE

25-across – Shakespearean bagging the hide : LEATHER

26-across – Powder keg’s contents knocked over in style : ECLAT

27-across – Stir beyond two thirds of Russian sugar : MUSCOVADO

1-down – Talk about those calling god a dog : SPRINGERSPANIEL

2-down – See 20 : STURGEON

3-down – Pink river entering the black stuff : CORAL

4-down – Greek hero in old journey’s ending with ship consumed by god : ODYSSEUS

5-down – Old Greek city seeking power in new capital : DELPHI

6-down – Where women aren’t invited, politicians in a rut? : STAGPARTY

7-down – Metal key found under horse : COBALT

8-down – Setter on pitch with Scottish team player of the past : JELLYROLLMORTON

15-down – Lay waste to old Chester, say : DEVASTATE

17-down – Not being prompted to assimilate learning, initially stupid : CLUELESS

18-down – 9 across? : DOPEHEAD

20-down – A Scot, one ruling for a change? : NICOLA

21-down – Wonderful paper in doily that doesn’t need painting : DREAMY

23-down – Artist, a sizzler? : BACON

1-across – Charged boundary with pick and staple to secure cold bog : ELECTRICFENCE

10-across – Scholar spooks patriarch hidden in nut tree : MACADAMIA

11-across – Young man with it, turning, ebbing and flowing : TIDAL

12-across – Assistant catching second stage whisper : ASIDE

13-across – Instrument welcoming holy man to US city : KALAMAZOO

14-across – Degrade pile penetrating scent’s centre : CHEAPEN

16-across – Hot spot for Puritans dropping one off : SUNTRAP

18-across – Mother hedgehog belonging to boys only club? : MASONIC

20-across – Unruly teen absorbing reflux in African town : ENTEBBE

21-across – First bit of evening paper let loose by fruit-bearer : APPLETREE

23-across – Expression of regret about time range : ATLAS

24-across – What’s to be ground by King George I? : GRIST

25-across – Officer finding one sort of fly in pipe : BRIGADIER

26-across – Part of speech with which to make firm declaration : PRONOUNCEMENT

2-down – French evangelist with cattle on ship making fortune : LUCKINESS

3-down – Bum finds penny in prison : CADGE

4-down – Gods of victory and war mostly overturned dish : RAMEKIN

5-down – Drink tea with endless delight : CHABLIS

6-down – Bomb in with a will : ESTAMINET

7-down – Jessica dizzily drinking port : CADIZ

8-down – Magic Parmesan recipe for political skulduggery : SMEARCAMPAIGN

9-down – Blue door curiously concealing crush — stress may increase it : BLOODPRESSURE

15-down – Butterfly catcher with clipper gaining weight? : PINKERTON

17-down – Boxer, maybe, with electronic phone featured in retrograde film genre : REBELLION

19-down – Animals getting a bone circle copper-plated : CARIBOU

20-down – Doleful, the Spanish setter interrupts rising composer : ELEGIAC

22-down – Allegedly nosey sort of churchman : PRIOR

23-down – Startle, Madagascar-style? : ALARM

7-across – See 12 : CARAMEL

8-across – Car shows vigour around street, reaching 50 : BRISTOL

9-across – Car’s board to break — a bit : DASH

10-across – One seeking to form a contract with special agent? Not I! : NEGOTIANT

12-across – Male spins off after putting race car in reverse — that’s sweet : CREME

13-across – Trespass, while refining crude : INFRINGE

15-across – Craft fancy robe in car : FIRE

16-across – Car from Leeds : EDSEL

17-across – Car operating perfectly starts to make a comeback, then place number one returned — here? : POLE

18-across – Car knowledge assimilated by college official : DELOREAN

20-across – Rover possibly, growling : HUSKY

21-across – Negative attitude in belief inspiring achievement : DEFEATISM

22-across – Seemingly the same thing, core of victory and Triumph! : TWIN

24-across – Red small Mini? : SCARLET

25-across – Good character offered drug after drug : HEROINE

1-down – Car upset Muhammad Ali’s boxing? : LADA

2-down – Fabric in bread and water : CASHMERE

3-down – Malevolent type average, that is : MEANIE

4-down – Appreciative, having fat and gruel in a stew : GRATEFUL

5-down – In Senna’s car, indomitable former Formula One champion : ASCARI

6-down – See 15 : BOAT

11-down – Slides, as sliding slides : GLISSANDI

12-down – British general, leader in Calcutta as it happens : CLIVE

14-down – 17 down like a bird? : GULLY

16-down – Promoted jerks leave Heath : ELEVATED

17-down – See 17 across : POSITION

19-down – A Morris, neat car : OXFORD

20-down – Bee car : HUMMER

21-down – Dodge for nothing : DUCK

23-down – Some Bugatti on Automobile Island : IONA

8-across – Thatch reducers’ craft? : CLIPPERS

9-across – Operetta composer: Pardon one’s falling between two extremes : LEHAR

10-across – Fly’s salty secretion : PEAR

11-across – Day before vessel problem is an elusive major universal influence : DARKMATTER

12-across – Street trader cyclist casually reported : MEDLAR

14-across – Having something on top, getting at the bananas in the sack : BEHATTED

16-across – Down to bra and panties, exit discreetly? : SLIPOFF

18-across – People are jetted by this airline in singular way : SPABATH

21-across – Railway’s Capital Rover, say, terminated outside French region : DORDOGNE

23-across – Jolly blubber-covered male hogging centre of bed : CHERRY

24-across – Rebuke: for instance, shrill tart : SHARPWORDS

26-across – Green hanky material? : LAWN

27-across – Super-sounding grid : GRAPE

28-across – Grand Midlands town not about to go flashy : GLEAMING

1-down – Racy? Live, live, live, flower! : BLUEBELL

2-down – Senate and people of Rome question being replaced by head of union branch : SPUR

3-down – Still without its first back bar retailer : VENDOR

4-down – Put down a biblical teacher : ASCRIBE

5-down – Blue left in stick : PLUM

6-down – Just a bit firm, oysters from here : WHITSTABLE

7-down – Rig out the second person who was keen? : GRIEVE

13-down – Adriana, lip-curling Stones connoisseur : LAPIDARIAN

15-down – Poetic invocation used in local round dance : HIP

17-down – Raising of flag, ultimately obscure : FIG

19-down – Having a fling, working at the wheel? : THROWING

20-down – Make water boil for Earl Grey etc : PEERAGE

22-down – Superior’s performing drunk : ONHIGH

23-down – Baby salad ingredient collection : COSSET

25-down – Question about English dairy product : WHEY

26-down – Halt : LIME