1-across – England’s captain, once one of several scorers : STRAUSS

5-across – Leave his prey to perish in 25 : EYELASH

10-across – Former president getting head from Monica — a second short spell in White House 25 : BUSH

11-across – Sign forms — how final couple to hotel are written down in evenings? : NEONLIGHTS

12-across – Run large 25 : LADDER

13-across – Patent protecting firm — origin of Apple Mac? : OVERCOAT

14-across – Tricks 16 artist : CONSTABLE

16-across – 25 to drive over playing surface featuring 25s and 12s? : BOARD

17-across – See 5 : VIPER

19-across – One doing routine work round large-sized breasts — plastic surgery piece : ODDJOBMAN

23-across – Co-star at bad singer : CASTRATO

24-across – Function pictures, having airbrushed mother, capturing Oscars : COSINE

26-across – Bad US singer at musical introductions : SIGNATURES

27-across – Friend is friendly — not initially : ALLY

28-across – Fears tense mistakes : TERRORS

29-across – Makes beloved Kennedy et al rise regularly : ENDEARS

2-down – Visit Bill Oddie’s top bird : TOURACO

3-down – Needed top card holding hearts and diamonds : ACHED

4-down – Turning over while American’s boxing — wrestling ring punch : SANGRIA

6-down – Yes, ’70s prog rock band Queen, one cries : YELPER

7-down – Record dovetailing IBM company with British type of computer virus : LOGICBOMB

8-down – What I try to do should be OK? : SETFAIR

9-down – 25 dished out more cold bacon : MONOCLEDCOBRA

15-down – Sugar’s replacement upset on news, outside, hot from The Apprentice’s final : SWEETENER

18-down – Independent supplement dropping extreme characters for picture : IMAGINE

20-down – Bad singer : JACKSON

21-down – Ring-shaped forms unreasonable — not unusually obese : ANNULAR

22-down – See 10 : MASTER

25-down – Racer, perhaps, briefly exposed following its profile? : SNAKE

9-across – Refusal for Cambridgeshire saint, her very own self : NONEOTHER

10-across – Perfume given to city in Italy : AROMA

11-across – As specified, Are you ready ___?, as waiter might say : TOORDER

12-across – Lack of water puts obligation on medico : DROUGHT

13-across – The Fair Maid of Perth’s sweet girl : IRMA

14-across – Third-class work of such as 18, 19, 20 … : CHILDSTARS

15-across – … and flowers : GARLAND

17-across – Saint on pillar, nameless graduate : COLUMBA

19-across – Ryan’s child makes duck, retaining wrong amount : TATUMONEAL

22-across – Alter ebb? : EDIT

23-across – Glass for the circus : TUMBLER

24-across – Fighting that isn’t for poltroon keeping end on line : COLDWAR

26-across – One of 14 developed from grass meadow : MILLS

27-across – It stimulates one to learn changes in a row : ADRENALIN

1-down – With nothing on I’m leaving Jewish acolytes to French comedian in sport, step by step : ONETHINGATATIME

2-down – Home to old nark : INFORMER

3-down – One of the 14, Natalie had a lot of growth : WOOD

4-down – Sanctified companion at old city gets a lot of cheese : CHURCHED

5-down – What sounds like a path to the altar? : BRIDAL

6-down – Musical song about employment : CAROUSEL

7-down – Porch made of 3 by some giants : LOGGIA

8-down – Listener’s object includes threats that could be very destructive : EARTHSHATTERING

16-down – Officers taking page out of Palmistry Discovered : ARMYLIST

17-down – Luck has a line with wards : CHANCERY

18-down – Roddy Doyle’s head put in to frighten everyone under 1,000 : MCDOWALL

20-down – Capital religious building? : TEMPLE

21-down – Wisdom in French : NORMAN

25-down – Beast making connections with audience : LYNX

9-across – Economic region’s currency traded for no gas : OZONE

10-across – The rabble’s hard work turns into double oil spill : HOIPOLLOI

11-across – Saucy maid breaks brute’s toe : SOUBRETTE

12-across – South American comedy series is a hit : SMASH

13-across – Opening numbers: 500,000,000,000? : NOSTRIL

15-across – See 13 down : PARKERS

17-across – Bearing rubbish and litter : SEDAN

18-across – Say, good clue for O? : EGG

20-across – Silly production of Annie : INANE

22-across – Orbison returns to cover UK singer, not a US-Swiss singer : YODELER

25-across – English composer or hitman? : LAMBERT

26-across – Loveless tabloid hack dismisses boss’s head girl : TILDA

27-across – Strong man possesses single talent : POTENTIAL

30-across – Cameron : CHAMELEON

31-across – Foreign film : ALIEN

1-down – See 29 : HOPS

2-down – Concentrated Scouse stew follows fine starter for dinner : FOCUSSED

3-down – Writer of real nonsense : LEAR

4-down – Spooner’s fair question leads to polite deception : WHITELIE

5-down – Excite Formula One’s pure racing : FIREUP

6-down – Coalition party finds Greek character’s upset after angry riots : CONSORTIUM

7-down – Gangster and murderer reportedly manufacture paraffin : ALKANE

8-down – Vocal peak? By ’eck, that’s advanced : HIGH

13-down – Might they pry or sneak about to gain small exposé, ultimately? : NOSEY

14-down – Chief lecturer quaffs gin cocktail with student : RINGLEADER

16-down – Female 31’s film : SHEET

19-down – Member promoted in Tea Party? It might raise the thickness level : GELATINE

21-down – Profanities unfold when spoilt son leaves drink : APERITIF

23-down – Soap dish upended over top of legs : DALLAS

24-down – Talented man on screen in Surrey village? : RIPLEY

26-down – See 8 : TECH

28-down – Prophet discarding most of the bread : NAAN

29-down – Pine shop condemned for bad deliveries : LONG

1-across – Environmentalists such as Ethel Merman and Thomas Hardy? : TREEHUGGERS

9-across – Disconcert Arsenal without using wingers, gaining victory in Europe : UNNERVE

10-across – Return of ice in one point three times as slippery? : EELLIKE

11-across – Aid for tourists in Edinburgh’s good online reading material : GUIDEBOOK

12-across – Spike Milligan, finally covered in for good : PRONG

13-across – Weapon available from around threepence : EPEE

14-across – One making declaration in a counter-revolutionary fashion : ENUNCIATOR

16-across – Strange I should tan poorly : OUTLANDISH

19-across – Body establishing English broadcasts, origin­ally : BEEB

20-across – Desirable but unattainable ladies, mostly out to lunch : IDEAL

21-across – Before returning toilet roll to soft bit of furniture … : FOOTSTOOL

23-across – … heads for mugs of no-good drinks : NOGGINS

24-across – Fairy ring finally seen where moon is nearest to us : PERIGEE

25-across – Spooner’s cursed pig will cheat : HORNSWOGGLE

1-down – Measure of stress that can be absorbed by three nestlings about to take flight at last : TENSILESTRENGTH

2-down – Right one, hiding in central point in nest : EYRIE

3-down – Ring in when dancing includes party dance : HOEDOWN

4-down – One getting in a pickle from using her Kindle : GHERKIN

5-down – Golfer circling edge of hole is … : ELLIPSIS

6-down – … in soft enough ground, accepting initially even the error exiting the trap? : SLIPOFTHETONGUE

7-down – Person who can’t spell anoints new members of old sect : MUGGLETONIANS

8-down – Breakfast item in pub’s left one entering complaint: Is hard to swallow : BEGGARSBELIEF

15-down – Liberal’s surprisingly more gutsy : BALLSIER

17-down – Removes tension from simmering feud, overseas area excepted : DEFUSES

18-down – Car horn very good in snow, oddly : SCORPIO

22-down – Childless male, shortly to produce child : SPROG

1-across – Mosaic piece from Hardy’s novel period : TESSERA

5-across – I work with 22 a long way before I go wrong, putting last first : FARRIER

9-across – Seek food rejecting article as fake : FORGE

10-across – Worshipped ere Advent came about : VENERATED

11-across – Last words of Omar: the pessimist has half one : EMPTYGLASS

12-across – Jean’s tribe? : LEVI

14-across – Tool for 9 with operator in London : HAMMERSMITH

18-across – A once new building block of sea air : OCEANBREEZE

21-across – See 24 : READ

22-across – Lucky products of 9 for 4 ft? : HORSESHOES

25-across – 9’s European air backed with less than total recall : FORGETFUL

26-across – Number in reverse like operator in 9 : BLACK

27-across – Where Arthur kept appointment with fate? : CAMELOT

28-across – Flower ill-used within the jurisdiction of the war god : TUESDAY

1-down – Time of payment is sweet : TOFFEE

2-down – Predicament? Economise : SCRAPE

3-down – End of the ideal solution to the lot : EVERYTHING

4-down – Suburban villa’s contribution to 9 : ANVIL

5-down – Tries moving into sunny part of Brittany : FINISTERE

6-down – But not that unusual for roast beef? : RARE

7-down – Pinter’s work in self-disclosure is courageous : INTREPID

8-down – Warning of danger when Spooner was the Tory leader : REDLIGHT

13-down – Apparent demands — so be silent : OSTENSIBLE

15-down – Art of warm cooked peas : MARROWFAT

16-down – Golden Bough’s ending first has tree turned to ice — nearly awful! : HORRIFIC

17-down – Spell Shah Jahan’s city with many a starry figure : HEXAGRAM

19-down – Transatlantic city in Atlantic country : POLAND

20-down – Comic Arthur eating hard fruit from tree : ASHKEY

23-down – Cut covering page division : SPLIT

24-down – The Guardian is going to study the literate : WELL