1-across – Offensive type poking face using fingers : DIGITAL

5-across – Fool with photo that’s captured hot lesbian : SAPPHIC

9-across – Couple behind attack, one disappearing as more than one spoke : RADII

10-across – Knowledge about bartending finally clear, these glasses handled : LORGNETTE

11-across – Juvenile presidential candidate once in anything but decline : ADOLESCENT

12-across – Round piece of meat with its ends trimmed : AMMO

14-across – Tommy musical making a comeback — that’s helpful : COOPERATIVE

18-across – Israeli leader needing Russian vehicle for programme of reforms : PERESTROIKA

21-across – Total class : RANK

22-across – People on the left with kipper for fish : REDSNAPPER

25-across – Freeze put on very ordinary commentary : VOICEOVER

26-across – Drink given to right-wingers on the ball : ALERT

27-across – Labour leader, joining Tories after a reshuffle, acts suspiciously : LOITERS

28-across – Inspiring love, witch mounted soldier : DRAGOON

1-down – Foreign port, city south of Germany : DURBAN

2-down – Boy sponsored thug to catch policeman : GODSON

3-down – Bag in gents, for example, that’s round in a testicle, possibly? : TOILETCASE

4-down – Initial of Iris in name that’s come up for flower : LILAC

5-down – Quiet houses good, it’s contrarily plain : SERENGETI

6-down – A boat to boot! : PUNT

7-down – The aim, almost all letters noxious — with this? : HATEMAIL

8-down – Brave, brave man passing through outskirts of Cannock with ease, they say? : CHEROKEE

13-down – Stoker penning three articles on a group of girls : BANANARAMA

15-down – On reflection, the Guardian sure loves to appear inept : OURSELVES

16-down – Month eating first of poached eggs like this, OK : APPROVAL

17-down – Questionably, RC naif to install existing pope : FRANCISI

19-down – Meter fitted to car went in thus : SPEEDO

20-down – Greek restraint regularly seen, when overcome by credit : CRETAN

23-down – Read about a game one’s played : STRAD

24-down – Place for the Guardian Crossword in further education : HERE

9-across – Saw our time span : ADAGE

10-across – A journey with no end of rough caper : ROUNDTRIP

11-across – Disco hit follows appearance in which One Direction turned round? : NIGHTCLUB

12-across – Article leads to no end of ruddy trouble : ANNOY

13-across – Flag-waving, safe, holding back enemy : EASEOFF

15-across – Lack of experience shows in wrong answers : RAWNESS

17-across – Troubled no end by lover of verse : DONNE

18-across – No end of justice for Spooner? Not today! : CUT

20-across – After ranger’s first greeting, no end of hunting for him? : RHINO

22-across – No end of trouble in bingeing and dieting : FASTING

25-across – Cadet or raw soldier? : REDCOAT

26-across – Boatman here: Africa? No end in sight : CANOE

27-across – With no end in sight, perhaps the French take a boat : SENSELESS

30-across – No end of trouble from what lorries may do : SHEDLOADS

31-across – Putting together no end of flashy accessories : BLING

1-down – Applied for protection, with no end of trouble : PAIN

2-down – Having lost bearings, perhaps crashes : BARGESIN

3-down – Torn clothing, no end : RENT

4-down – Rank of copper taking lifer without hesitation in southern Ireland : PROLIFIC

5-down – No end of obsession over chocolate : NUMBER

6-down – A pact long held in state where all are happy : IDEALWORLD

7-down – In empty greenhouse, step in muck : GRUNGE

8-down – Animal yelps getting up — get fixed at vet’s : SPAY

13-down – I won’t discuss this theme : ENDOF

14-down – Boatman’s glance could be the end of you, they say unfairly : ONESIDEDLY

16-down – See 18 : SHORT

19-down – Brass neck acerbity : TARTNESS

21-down – Saki: some rice distilled, having the parts recombined at molecular level : ISOMERIC

23-down – Verse has no end. No end? Odd, in a way : SONNET

24-down – Boring speaker gets up to talk: a low point : GASBAG

26-down – Enquire after report of sea vessel : CASK

28-down – Drops of ethanol burn brightly, shining on top : EBBS

29-down – Source of starch in the past : SAGO

9-across – Fancy rogue and tall yob : LAGERLOUT

10-across – One despising another mad character half-heartedly : HATER

11-across – Herb that’s trendy with duck wings on rosemary : CHICORY

12-across – Word used in separation — a snip, say? : GOODBYE

13-across – Con man : ROOK

14-across – Unit chatted about outstanding soldiers : DETACHMENT

15-across – Make roughly a hundred rowers minus a thousand : COARSEN

17-across – Fish to eat by river while lying back : SARDINE

19-across – University on the border studying speech : LIPREADING

22-across – Half of house missed : SEMI

23-across – A city doubled in number? : NEWYORK

24-across – Carol, after a drink, flirting : TEASING

26-across – Company crushed by priest, a sickener : ECOLI

27-across – A risible dickhead floundering as Mandela interpreter : IDRISELBA

1-down – Exciting total one’s charged for heating : ELECTRICBLANKET

2-down – Rowling character shaving head and bottom, sparkling stuff in general : AGRICOLA

3-down – A proportion of popular vote for Australian PM : ARVO

4-down – Popular political veteran an insubstantial figure, according to Spooner? : TONYBENN

5-down – Mark, Athenian character shackling Turkish leader : STIGMA

6-down – Sex neither this nor that? : THEOTHER

7-down – Secure horses : STABLE

8-down – Author writing about men — his weren’t gay : ERNESTHEMINGWAY

16-down – Crush something underfoot — hurry up! : STEPONIT

17-down – Hygienic topless bar — madness? : SANITARY

18-down – Poisonous jerks lie in bed : INEDIBLE

20-down – Work having arisen, duck into internet meeting : POWWOW

21-down – Antelope bringing up a couple of children : DIKDIK

25-down – A capital’s musicians on top : ALSO

9-across – Agency to make something happen when a country lass : CAUSALITY

10-across – Satisfactory note about money obtained from property on street : STOKE

11-across – Only half competent, you, not finishing, may offer excuse : ABSOLVE

12-across – See 10 : ONTRENT

13-across – Cautious, making love without sex? : CHARY

14-across – Queen in bind in mad area associated with 4 21 across : POTTERIES

16-across – Nice coppers to lie, almost fooling their senior officer : POLICEINSPECTOR

19-across – Turns into barren areas of deserts, possibly : DEFORESTS

21-across – More than one place has to be found after road junction : TOWNS

22-across – Fielder in the deep catches Kent’s tail-ender : LONGTON

23-across – Slumber is disturbed : BURSLEM

24-across – Size of paper hat : CROWN

25-across – Promoter of product making one’s lager fantastic : SLOGANEER

1-down – Damage home computer memory : SCRATCHPAD

2-down – Lots of wine on bench at market? : TUNSTALL

3-down – River, one flowing out into dried grass : HANLEY

4-down – Cardinal’s expression of disgust about Vatican City : FIVE

5-down – Philosophical reality that could excite sophist, say : HYPOSTASIS

6-down – Line on map in this other empire : ISOTHERE

7-down – At foot of tree trunk note fungi : BOLETI

8-down – Church officer not operating in ecclesiastical office : SEXT

14-down – Is wrongdoing admitted by newspapers being goody-goody? : PRISSINESS

15-down – Man under pressure to make contribution to phonetic dictionary : STRESSMARK

17-down – What may be converted to vitamin A, one trace dissolving : CAROTENE

18-down – Kicked around a watery hole, maybe — must get dried : TOWELLED

20-down – Heartless criminal takes in holy books : FENTON

21-down – Someone feared two strike-breakers turning up : TARTAR

22-down – Jam in cupboard, a third gone : LOCK

23-down – What may be furrowed, like soil mostly? : BROW

1-across – A difficult crossword book : HARDTIMES

6-across – Heroines — pursued without energy : DASH

8-across – Raise pincers back to front: where does one get those from? : SUPPLIER

9-across – Instruction to players in northern team when one short : PRESTO

10-across – Criminal kidnaps extremely naive heroine : BENNET

11-across – Maybe pet, having got dry, needs drink : AIREDALE

12-across – Did a little jogging, almost free : RANSOM

15-across – One said to be dead cross about love receiving answer : DOORNAIL

16-across – Gave news of my divorce? : IMPARTED

19-across – Author brings a number to the Guardian : AUSTEN

21-across – A possibility of acquiring a daughter? : ADOPTION

22-across – Man judge hopes will swing : JOSEPH

24-across – Poet has extra line for heroine : ELLIOT

25-across – Dwarf’s back home wearing shortened swimming costume : MANNIKIN

26-across – Heroine wanted to speak to Parliament : WOOD

27-across – Drink bowl of soup noisily; this 1 of 5 a day? : NECTARINE

1-down – See 26 : HOUSE

2-down – Welshman holding cask does not reveal content : REPINES

3-down – Plot development in second part of novel : TWIST

4-down – Heroine loses a ring in wild country : MORLAND

5-down – Wonderful month goes with a big bang : SUPERNOVA

6-down – Not all clothes end in tatters, coming from China : DRESDEN

7-down – Was judge burning to talk to underling? : SATELLITE

13-down – One plated up, giving off aroma including herb : ARMADILLO

14-down – Woman heartily contrite, suffering a lot of weight : METRICTON

17-down – Not being pure, program gave false answer : APPLIED

18-down – Such a worker dealing with admin extremely crisply? : DYNAMIC

20-down – As welcome to elite force, I’m passed up raw flesh to eat : SASHIMI

22-down – Military rulers some days need appreciation : JUNTA

23-down – Heroine’s parking on the grass : PRICE