1-across – Warning protest against wearing fewer clothes : OBJECT

5-across – See 1 : LESSON

8-across – Was the pact here to look at the registration number? : LOCARNO

9-across – Polish capital : RUBADUB

11-across – Basque bank blued allowance from vegetable dish : BUBBLEANDSQUEAK

12-across – The girl Verity goes topless : RUTH

13-across – Backwoodsman with jalopy keeping American time : BUSHRANGER

17-across – See 10 : IRREGULARS

18-across – The other half from 9 is a nuisance : PEST

20-across – Virtually the same mess began in the clear : INTERCHANGEABLE

23-across – Busy with a date? : ENGAGED

24-across – Insert transport for underling : SERVANT

25-across – Refrain from food and take in lines of music : STARVE

26-across – Square-dance figure is turning into a dead thing : DOSIDO

2-down – Ill-natured gossip with piece mounted by angel : BACKBITER

3-down – Lyre that is played in weird style : EERILY

4-down – Virtual piece about female with great and swell : TWOMANUAL

5-down – Ghastly old city in cover : LURID

6-down – Slightly less than blues composer, as entered : SUBEQUAL

7-down – In place of petrol, diesel seems somewhat dated : OLDIE

8-down – Enslavement, perhaps, in classical book, Bond circumvents detectives : LIBERTICIDE

10-down – Greek art: terrible I from Russia perplexed detective’s assistants : BAKERSTREET

14-down – Watered around forest – no point in it? Tough! : HARDNOSED

15-down – Water bird around yard, with the rest of it for 7 : GREYBEARD

16-down – A place for a car, pointless when one has no topping or jelly : AGARAGAR

19-down – Wheel for unEnglish boats? : FERRIS

21-down – Only just 8 [plus] 1? [See special instructions above] : TIGHT

22-down – Barrier on the hard side : HEDGE

4-across – See 13 : TURECK

6-across – Desert life support to hold a well-reasoned argument? : WATERBAG

9-across – With artists’ supermodel dropping ‘er latest 87 2 19-er : ANDRAS

10-across – Layman conclusively inspired Scott : MINSTREL

11-across – 24 introduction to Peter’s galaxy, perhaps? Kiss off! : PEARLYGATES

15-across – Erstwhile single issue rejected : ONETIME

17-across – Daughter abandoning music played so sadly for a drink in a tapas bar : OLOROSO

18-across – Surf, you might say, with one hand tied to another : BONDSERVANT

22-across – A redcap with it in the red sand hopper, say : AMPHIPOD

23-across – See 9 : SCHIFF

24-across – As delightful as Leda’s twins? : HEAVENLY

25-across – Sounds like rain on the wedding : BRIDAL

1-down – Bends over with left hand’s scratch : SCRAWL

2-down – See 8 : VARIATIONS

3-down – See Cato’s Metamorphoses: it never ____ amaze me! : CEASESTO

4-down – The measure of Tony Benn’s addiction? : TEASPOON

5-down – Rivaldo at right back? Ecstasy for one Australian player : RODLAVER

7-down – See 8 : BERG

8-down – Work of 20 or composer with ovaritis an alternative : GOLD

12-down – Prime orbiter and good old Irish 19-er of the 87 2 : GLENNGOULD

13-down – She 19-ed the 87 2 wildly and – er – struck oil : ROSALIND

14-down – One shouldn’t, they say, talk with this much spleen : MOUTHFUL

16-down – Doctor Basmati is out on the tiles! : IMBRICES

19-down – Post on line : RECORD

20-down – A congenial address in Llanelli : BACH

21-down – Measure the level of acidity in running water : EPHA

10-across – Daddy, I’m a lion asking for a boat : PAIROAR

11-across – Would you like an answer, if you grasp fields of telepathy? : YESPLEASE

13-across – Say you start on the answer, will this keep you clean? : EUSOL

15-across – Musically famous : NOTED

16-across – Laureate Robert holding church service in the Cotswolds : SOUTHCERNEY

17-across – Misplaced paintwork : INAPT

18-across – Suit one when it’s gone home by commercial backing inside : SUNDAYBEST

19-across – T? Insert extra one into small jumper for new opening : ROADJUNCTION

20-across – Yesterday’s French containing anything less modest? : HAUGHTIER

22-across – Prescribed list for The Times? : TABLETS

24-across – American city to hawk African one? : LAGOS

25-across – Sovereign part of 10 in riverside structure: dairymaid can take it : MILKINGPAIL

26-across – Bird out of temper with Cathy’s grange : THRUSHCROSS

29-across – Historian not speaking American? : TACITUS

31-across – Soldiers carrying pounds of baggage : TROLLOP

33-across – Greek is tough! : SPARTAN

34-across – Report of watchman getting affectionate greeting, trying to go in? : CENTRIPETAL

37-across – Tetchy characters from Austria boil : ATRABILIOUS

39-across – Light associate obtained from Samson’s lion : SWEET

41-across – City female’s diminutive female with lots of transport : FLORRIE

42-across – It’s piping with half a pipe for almost vinegary setter : PEACETIME

43-across – Dark Blues to be afraid the gun will not be audible : OUTOFEARSHOT

45-across – Chemist such as Gauguin sets New York this test : SYNTHESIST

48-across – Dealing in the wind : TRADE

49-across – Inescapable order to go quickly dispatched again : OMNIPRESENT

50-across – Very good money : GRAND

52-across – A means of saving conceals the end of Michael Craig : AILSA

53-across – Having no object I’ve got lost on the way : INTRANSIT

54-across – Beat in the air, giving a woeful exhibition grabbing a shirt? : OUTFLEW

1-down – Squat writer at opening of Jersey enclosure : JPEN

2-down – Somerset House supplies colour in Kingston town : TINTINHULL

3-down – An ode I translated in complete ignorance : NOIDEA

4-down – Annoyed with laureate Robert? Wait till you reach them! : CROSSBRIDGES

5-down – Game that sounds obscene in company : CLUEDO

6-down – Is it possible for Edward to succeed to the throne? It will need a widget : CANNEDBEER

7-down – Help yourselves to old medal before crazy guy sets out : BEMYGUESTS

8-down – Solar put right outside 51 across : HELIACAL

9-down – Casts without a note produce groovy sounds : FLUTINGS

11-down – On introduction I may turn to the Treasury, No 5 : YOURSERVANT

12-down – Like this house off the Charing Cross Road? : SOHO

14-down – Male in place of mail, formerly the way for a stopover : STAGINGPOST

18-down – Desirable semi, catch for the methodical : SCHEMATIC

21-down – Robber girl, the first to be put inside : HEISTER

22-down – A pretty good pupil to the Queen in Iolanthe : TOLLOLLER

23-down – Black Labour leader broken by a vote for the Iron Lady : BATTLEAXE

27-down – Fool wants cleaner situation : CHARLIE

28-down – Bearings subtending a right angle have the smell of ageing : SENESCENT

30-down – Play scene gives Lancelot Christian conversion : CONCERTHALL

32-down – Earnest author admitting my appropriate retraction : PARTPAYMENT

33-down – Sale of hot article in place of electrical conversion : SUBHASTATION

35-down – Italian girl drinking a bottle in Giglio’s kingdom : PAFLAGONIA

36-down – Ordinal for solvers with some theology? : THOUSANDTH

38-down – First, the first drink to go in by the mouth : ORIGINALLY

39-down – S-scratcher holds out with demand for good turns : SCOUTLAW

40-down – Welshman said thanks for silks : TAFFETAS

44-down – The golden spirit has missed Tom, unfortunate child : ORPHAN

46-down – Number of importance first off : EIGHTY

47-down – See 39 across : NESS

51-down – Fresh as the morning librarian’s report? : DEWY

1-across – Ring seen after having tail docked, problem for marsupial : OPOSSUM

5-across – What’s left of drink round back of bar left for crossword setters : SURPLUS

9-across – Beastly comment about something pink gains award : BAFTA

10-across – Small vehicle with English pig backing into King Edward : TWOSEATER

11-across – Equivalent to three times, Mao cavorts with a nun : TANTAMOUNT

12-across – Piece of piano music, for example : PART

14-across – Being abusive in intimate practice, tries to be kinky : MISTREATING

18-across – In an unorthodox manner, present score about ninety-nine : HERETICALLY

21-across – Labour-saving package for Major, possibly : URSA

22-across – Infer Rocky hangs around with foreign correspondents, perhaps : PENFRIENDS

25-across – Made bitter by a cold I passed on, if caught : ACIDIFIED

26-across – Red-hot stuff about right for grub : LARVA

27-across – Cheapen to make daughter, say, awfully dear : DEGRADE

28-across – Shown to be average? Dead wrong : PARADED

1-down – Goes round, or 12s : ORBITS

2-down – Be disgusting when over the limit? : OFFEND

3-down – Result of dripping and meat cooked with gas and lit : STALAGMITE

4-down – Item on table put on weight, given up for sort of meal : MATZO

5-down – Rat run closed off : SCOUNDREL

6-down – Something in pond fretted, having activated grenade? : REED

7-down – Lover with a great deal of hair made love : LOTHARIO

8-down – Plan to wander round stand? : STRATEGY

13-down – 7 with Ruth Ellis : LADYKILLER

15-down – Unlikely to say 2/3 understand 20/4 : SECRETIVE

16-down – 14? : THOUSAND

17-down – See 16 : DRESSING

19-down – Girl already solved? : INGRID

20-down – See 16 : ISLAND

23-down – Unhappy to be offered airline meal? : FEDUP

24-down – A princess of light opera and grand opera : AIDA

1-across – See 10 : STRIKING

5-across – Activate footrest right away : STIRUP

9-across – See10 : DISTANCE

10-across – Approaching picket line? : WITHIN

12-across – Here operative comes together with French actor in business : WORKSTATION

15-across – Cry from Yard close by, seizing drug : NEIGH

17-across – Does this extend from the 5th to 15th centuries? : MIDDLEAGE

18-across – Chosen ones perhaps availed themselves of bus conductor : ELECTRODE

19-across – Dismiss, having kept the enemy back : DEMIT

20-across – With difficulty, a nurse gets him to swallow : HOUSEMARTIN

24-across – See 17 : SPREAD

25-across – On the evidence of her dietary preferences, she should be a regular broadcaster : FIGLOVER

26-across – Shaft’s 25 – and I’m walking on it! : SHANKS

27-across – Pairing’s tense, but comes out on top with it : TWINSHIP

1-down – The team sledger and rattler? : SIDEWINDER

2-down – Checked the others fell : RESTRAINED

3-down – Poet awoke at Shelley’s house : KEATS

4-down – Do up sacrifice where one’s accepted responsibility for drop in cover price : NOCLAIMBONUS

6-down – Three-point turn of obscenity, catching fish : TRIANGLED

7-down – Demon – that’s a surprise! – making an appearance in Rugby : RAHU

8-down – See 26 : PONY

11-down – Belief of those that freeze food in small packages, as Swift saw it : BIRDSEYEVIEW

13-down – Boy of 13’s left arm’s replaced in air raid at Virginia hospital : BARMITZVAH

14-down – Tightly-held Latvian acting without control : LETTINGRIP

16-down – Kind of car to develop second : HATCHBACK

21-down – Is this lion on the slope? Just about : ASLAN

22-down – Goddess is living in the second boat from Oxford : ISIS

23-down – A killer from Pomona, say, half-cut : ORCA