1-across – Under a captain’s vessel, vary nitrogen : SUBALTERN

6-across – Break horny musician’s back : SNAP

8-across – People treated broadcast as a theatrical work : PATIENCE

9-across – Radium-enriched, inclusive of spirit : WRAITH

10-across – Link broadcast just started before watershed : BRIDGE

11-across – Hold molten lead in wine : HEADLOCK

12-across – Elf, back to front, showing liveliness : ESPRIT

15-across – Prepare sticky mess date to give compensation : MAKEGOOD

16-across – Leader getting to sleep over, initially, with Trotsky? : NAPOLEON

19-across – Philosophy of communist doctrine switching left and right wings : TAOISM

21-across – Difficult answer — bird toiling : HARDATIT

22-across – Attempt to remove government lay school : PUTSCH

24-across – Boundary-less help-a-son city : ELPASO

25-across – Rolls producers using kinetic energy, initially located in Serbia, maybe : BAKERIES

26-across – Heartlessly admitted hadn’t repaid debt : OWED

27-across – So, no problem regarding military command? : EYESRIGHT

1-down – Part of flight with Brummie in lead : STAIR

2-down – Even less able to view outstanding performance : BLINDER

3-down – Push end of toboggan into toboggan : LUNGE

4-down – Days before theatrical Midlands town : EVESHAM

5-down – Meetings here offering up-to-the-minute commercial opportunity : NEWMARKET

6-down – Mollusc in eg summer? Not on tug : SEASLUG

7-down – Racing ace forced out — angry : AUTOCROSS

13-down – Natural harbour dem­ands sun hat on a swimming fowl : SCAPAFLOW

14-down – Retired at end of day in mood for a significant age : TWENTYONE

17-down – Over-fussy type getting on potty holds one : OLDMAID

18-down – Only dining chairs worthy of comment? : NOTABLE

20-down – Show off more old hat, black, worn material : OUTBRAG

22-down – Authorisation put in for each rude attention-seeker? : POKER

23-down – TNT found in Cat and Fiddle : CHEAT

5-across – Try to get number right away : GOETHE

6-across – One managing to shut up the wife : COWPER

9-across – Resinous substance — it is put into soothing cream : BALSAM

10-across – Luxury when university lecturer comes into old money : OPULENCE

11-across – Bank offering little reward : LEAN

12-across – Backed by everybody fighting the enemy? : ATTHEFRONT

13-across – Formula for action bringing dissension : ALTERCATION

18-across – Black as the one who was jailed in America? : PRESSBARON

21-across – Diamonds perhaps for a set of garments : SUIT

22-across – As saint only half sweet, I grimace : BONIFACE

23-across – Minister is scoundrel when meeting goddess : CURATE

24-across – One getting bothered about politicians : EMPSON

25-across – Messing about, no good : LARKIN

1-down – Disrespectful friend entertaining Queen and Prince Charles? : PERSONAL

2-down – Henry in the end joins a Christian army that prohibits violence : AHIMSA

3-down – Day and month for superior chaps to join in deed : DOCUMENT

4-down – Bring this if last to rise : UPREAR

5-down – Solemn little son : GRAVES

7-down – Water channel running around home : RACINE

8-down – Precentor so wacky helps to make an abbey famous : POETSCORNER

14-down – English business person left squashed with area inadequate for display : EMBLAZON

15-down – Out riding a three-wheeler round one end of street : ONSTRIKE

16-down – The sound of a small stream : BROOKE

17-down – Carpet with its first bit turned over : MILTON

19-down – Japanese ware showing craft, work taking a different direction : SHIPPO

20-down – Drink offered by exhibition centre — undrinkable black liquid : NECTAR

1-across – Bud’s turned to flower but I stick to the root, so to speak : BUSDRIVER

6-across – Sticker, say, in reverse : WEDGE

9-across – Victim of cold porridge, reportedly : OATES

10-across – Cider drunk with meal — such is Fenland : RECLAIMED

11-across – Crowds with crosses in which 9 nearly died : MULTITUDES

12-across – South American in state : INCA

14-across – What tinker says about nationalists’ piece of armour : CUIRASS

15-across – Fairy swimmers coming back with a slight cold? : SNIFFLE

17-across – Needing hard work to make America finally love an emperor : ONEROUS

19-across – One taking his turn to make traps for germs? : BUGGINS

20-across – Laments for Mass Observation : SOBS

22-across – City of the region in Germany : SUNDERLAND

25-across – Half 11, about — join the lady in another column : ELSEWHERE

26-across – Hurry has the heart displaced : HASTE

27-across – God after Christ? : MONAD

28-across – Put fellow off using cleaner : DETERGENT

1-down – Flower employs second spinner : BLOOM

2-down – Attendant student among the cream : SATELLITE

3-down – Mask for robber unfinished in similar holiday spot : RESPIRATOR

4-down – Qualities of 6 the last to recover : VIRTUES

5-down – Small piles of hay perhaps cause complaint : RICKETS

6-down – Cover with words and music : WRAP

7-down – Devilishly good player of successive notes : DEMON

8-down – Stop press: binding secur­ity provided : ENDPAPERS

13-down – His return was foretold when family paper turned up : KINGARTHUR

14-down – Spooner’s dominant quality that keeps house together : CROSSBEAM

16-down – Dish has direction in case : FRICASSEE

18-down – I leave Arab to eat starter : SAUTEED

19-down – But stay uncloth’d if this is prescribed : BEDREST

21-down – Sailor with personal problem : BOSUN

23-down – Old copper on beat was resident : DWELT

24-down – Had nothing to pay : OWED

9-across – It’s a short walk to Lincoln to see old instrument : ASTROLABE

10-across – Charlie has no place in M&S, say : CHAIN

11-across – Fashion’s getting pricier and may possibly go fast : TONUP

12-across – Poor state’s almost a contradiction : ILLHEALTH

13-across – Play for Today : MEASURE

14-across – They’re beginning to win on Thames ground : WESTHAM

17-across – Tell stories about Turkey : LITRE

19-across – See 13 : FOR

20-across – What’s happening as a rule : AFOOT

21-across – Student group remains baffled : SEMINAR

22-across – See 13 : MEASURE

24-across – 2 and 6 : HALFCROWN

26-across – Somerville and Ross collection ignored Irish : THERM

28-across – Indicates nothing’s missing : PINTS

29-across – Fabulous bargain is what every card player wants : GREATDEAL

1-down – Low attention span? : WATT

2-down – Old Queen of Castile forgetting to study lines : STANZA

3-down – Hence improvement, having swallowed tablets in dish : SOUPTUREEN

4-down – 19 in West : MAXIXE

5-down – More mature, we dipped into Lady Chatterley’s Lover, not quite climaxing? : MELLOWER

6-down – Runs into one : ACRE

7-down – Sensational spin bowled by everyone to lout, non-amateur : BALLYHOO

8-down – Small island in Switzerland : INCH

13-down – Roman soldier in Malta lies injured : MILES

15-down – It lactates : STALACTITE

16-down – Monsieur has to be in his own country : METRE

18-down – I met Neil producing The History Cycle perhaps : TIMELINE

19-down – 16 of these in 2 13 : FURLONGS

22-down – A thousand in cash or half that : MONKEY

23-down – Odd venue arranged to host Beethoven’s Ninth : UNEVEN

24-down – When river drops river horses find fruit : HIPS

25-down – Ropy sack container : CASK

27-down – Matador’s first accentless shout : MOLE

1-across – Indicator of future RAF stars: win-win situation for the five hundred : ASTRAWINTHEWIND

9-across – Potential fruit to ape backing instrument : ORANGEPIP

10-across – Cast having maybe final party : FLING

11-across – Bird digesting first of the article Join the Navy? : GOTOSEA

12-across – Tune with low notes heard at aviation centre : AIRBASE

13-across – See 16 : CAT

14-across – Swill was in place of art for the moralist painter : HOGWASH

17-across – Gray, say, and keeping of the law in Latin : ELEGIST

19-across – Magistrate’s poems accepted by parents and teachers : PODESTA

22-across – Queer street where shooting takes place : STRANGE

24-across – See 16 : THE

25-across – Girl or county : GWYNETH

26-across – Church gathering cut short by way of joint lubricant : SYNOVIA

28-across – Display of sanctity by medieval bishop at Biblical city : ODOUR

29-across – Pregnant and not blackballed? : INTHECLUB

30-across – As wet as it gets at 10 in planet — put finger out : SATURATIONPOINT

1-down – See 16 : AMONGTHEPIGEONS

2-down – Characteristic sound of carrier, originally : TRAIT

3-down – First of the month in US city : AUGUSTA

4-down – Charge one : IMPEACH

5-down – To talk foolishly is as ex­pensive as it gets : TOPRATE

6-down – Make it compulsory to be in green for ceremony : ENFORCE

7-down – Cap left off copy : IMITATION

8-down – See 16 & 18 : DOGSEETHERABBIT

15-down – Fool playing with clue for toga : GIDDYGOAT

16-down – To facilitate predation, dodgy mate’s gone cheetah spotting : SET

18-down – Facilitate predation by forgetfulness about time to do good — be very angry with minister and model : LET

20-down – Society attendant who is wool-gathering? : SHEARER

21-down – I say none’s up there where crime takes place : ATHEIST

22-down – Tongue supplied to shoes : SESOTHO

23-down – Rude letter about new thing Fenland rivers presumably do : RUNDEEP

27-down – The Third Man’s girl had the lot in Sixth : VALLI