1-across – Smooth musician’s ‘Stranger on the Shore’? Certainly not : SANDPIPER

6-across – See 26 : ROOF

8-across – Distinction of contemporary artist with cash but no power : EMINENCE

9-across – Delicate newspaper worker let off : SUBTLE

10-across – With leaders of Commons and Lords involved, cite bad language! : CELTIC

11-across – A lack of quiet song refrain in rock : SHORTAGE

12-across – Ball held by top class residence on the river? : AFLOAT

15-across – Devote time to break useless caddie’s resolve finally : DEDICATE

16-across – Crusty thing, the poet, Holder : SCABBARD

19-across – Turbulent water taking one day to fill pans : RAPIDS

21-across – Truss passed water plant : BINDWEED

22-across – Villain put away minister : CURATE

24-across – If not overcast, going topless : UNLESS

25-across – Crude oil rep, Rex, one gone for a Burton? : EXPLORER

26-across – Covering that’s unusual for a loft : FLAT

27-across – Go on, chuck final! : LASTDITCH

1-down – River of soup – no hoax! : SOMME

2-down – Far from content, at loose end? Open out : NONETOO

3-down – Headgear with fashionable insert, reversed flap : PANIC

4-down – See 2 : PLEASED

5-down – One attending emergency : RESPONDER

6-down – Like K-9 in unstable orbit, circling round and around : ROBOTIC

7-down – Bound dictionary includes ‘book with a gilt refinement’ : OBLIGATED

13-down – In fact, oil production is legendary : FICTIONAL

14-down – Crossing a line in pursuit of farceur : TRAVERSAL

17-down – Criminal goes to bed unusually on time? It’s not worth pursuing : BADDEBT

18-down – Odd, irregular stone’s fair feature : DODGEMS

20-down – Meaning to climb up, right and left : PURPORT

22-down – Award I had for Matchmaker role : CUPID

23-down – Effective power of the disheartened and the deranged : TEETH

9-across – Where night may be spent, dropping round when not too drunk : ONTHETOWN

10-across – News that is following the opening of Albert Hall on screen : ANNIE

11-across – Rejected this person’s official scientific expert : FERMI

12-across – Husband makes public petition for cosmetic solution : HAIRSPRAY

13-across – Cathouses like a stripper’s club : CABARET

14-across – Any of fourteen answers here having problem about current state : MUSICAL

17-across – When necessary, hospital’s toured by a person seen there? : ADHOC

19-across – After a year, year’s income : PAY

20-across – Extremely churlish female ending the mating game : CHESS

21-across – Idiot admitting a case of malpractice in court : CAMELOT

22-across – Drive east of swish area in city : CHICAGO

24-across – What metal dealer did, without energy to persevere : SOLDIERON

26-across – Workshy sort hands round European papers, at first : IDLER

28-across – Grand entertainer showing spirit : GHOST

29-across – Monsieur Macron’s refusal to back a keen old king : AGAMEMNON

1-down – A lot of rot for foolish person : GOOF

2-down – Like heart of Hobart, potentially : ATHROB

3-down – Mutual friend eating fabulous bird with cooked rice : RECIPROCAL

4-down – Work hard to don rubbish accessory for a gent : TOPHAT

5-down – Company kept by Sian Lloyd periodically without strength : INFIRMLY

6-down – Fans of jazz performers initially swapping places : CATS

7-down – Break in plot, boring in French and English : ENTRACTE

8-down – Bank run somewhere in Cambridgeshire : RELY

13-down – A lot of coke one’s snorted – it’s fun in Ireland : CRAIC

15-down – Offerings charm king provided with desserts : SACRIFICES

16-down – Two sailors losing time lifted rope : LASSO

18-down – Sailor’s mistress, I see, put up with poet : HAMILTON

19-down – Eternal child’s games provoked parent : PETERPAN

22-down – Preserve repeated 13 show : CANCAN

23-down – Weak greeting from a cockney : AILING

24-down – Turned up something fun in Lord of the Rings? : SAGA

25-down – Using computers, adult pens love letter : IOTA

27-down – What people 19 for entertainment, in part : RENT

8-across – It’s behind Brighton Rock partners introducing odd stripe : WESTPIER

9-across – Roe stripped, see her bouncing around for Hugh, reportedly? : OCHRE

10-across – Radio device’s error, dropping station : MIKE

11-across – Lavishly, all over the place, old female entertained in academia : HALLSOFIVY

12-across – In position of authority, crossword supremo ultimately gets to excel : OVERDO

14-across – Unlikely case, drier beach : SEACOAST

15-across – Amid racket cancel Bristol City’s suspension : CLIFTON

17-across – 501 advanced into pub, heading for alcoholic state : INDIANA

20-across – Film-maker entices strangely accommodating adult : CINEASTE

22-across – Busted singer in country performing following split : PARTON

23-across – What one might read about in History Today sometimes : NOWANDTHEN

24-across – In James, a uniquely hairy man : ESAU

25-across – Setter say needing master, and principles laid down : DOGMA

26-across – Have a flashback of free unclothed Johnson : REMEMBER

1-down – Yours truly, a devil in disguise, very old : MEDIEVAL

2-down – Gifts editor’s received an indication of the value of good company : FTSE

3-down – Discovered seaside town’s fine : RIGHTO

4-down – Wobbling perhaps, finally offer a parting expression of affection : BRALESS

5-down – Sailor, head of college before Oxford, from Shimla initially, on the wagon : COXSWAIN

6-down – An elegant chest that is right to cover with transparent silk : CHIFFONIER

7-down – Go first on Stephenson’s Rocket, say? : LEAVES

13-down – Winchester maybe with scope to get used here? : RIFLERANGE

16-down – A glass, old boy, is to be raised to Diana shortly : OBSIDIAN

18-down – Bundles of joy in cheeky couple, wrinkly one on top : NEONATES

19-down – Stage at which, sadly, Hugh’s retirement starts – no chicken! : LEGHORN

21-down – A peddler of ecstasy was I, legendary lover of Ireland : ISOLDE

22-down – Always centrally located, Hispanic canal’s dramatic – here? : PANAMA

24-down – Pickle, just flip the lid up, girl! : EMMA

1-across – Poet is country person admitting blunder : HERRICK

5-across – Stay away from child sent to bed on time : BOYCOTT

10-across – Dickensian character – follower, not leader : HEEP

11-across – Feature of tsar – I establish frontiers : BOUNDARIES

12-across – Political alliance has yesteryear’s president changing sides ultimately : CARTEL

13-across – Honey going round Paris splashing the cash : LEMPIRAS

14-across – Bishop behind everything and so very loud goes up in the air : BLASTSOFF

16-across – Back of restaurant – competent server pouring out one drink : TABLE

17-across – See 16 : WATER

19-across – Oh dear, cat wrecked geometrical shapes! : OCTAHEDRA

23-across – Most impulsive atheists being nasty : HASTIEST

24-across – Comb horse – starts to look elegant : HACKLE

26-across – Phone in caravan? : MOBILEHOME

27-across – Heartless opponent making money : RIAL

28-across – Philosopher’s bit of work absorbed by British disciple : BERGSON

29-across – After mad turns was first to be put in beastly home? : STABLED

2-down – Stare at end of spectacle – then you shout audibly : EYEBALL

3-down – Record in rubbish put in new container : REPOT

4-down – Workers at last having right to remove stones : COBBLES

6-down – Medical problem making one gutted – then made worse : OEDEMA

7-down – For body tissue eat garlic misguidedly? : CARTILAGE

8-down – One’s quick on foot : TOENAIL

9-down – Degree of moderation? : QUALIFICATION

15-down – The woman with an obsession offering protection : SHEATHING

18-down – Sailor on his own gets food from the sea? : ABALONE

20-down – A child that is on the street suffering most from exertion? : ACHIEST

21-down – Relative comfort, what a prisoner hopes for : RELEASE

22-down – Seven Etonians excluding outsiders in Italian region : VENETO

25-down – Caught a bird hiding in a tree : CAROB

1-across – Bad light obscures one unknown character on a set of steps : MAZURKA

5-across – Old type of slate roofing in progress – can’t leak! : SCANTLE

9-across – Council rejected gatherings around New York : SYNOD

10-across – Vessel at Cairo museum’s entrance, unusually broad : PANORAMIC

11-across – Fire-starter, exposed all round gets beaten : OUTMATCHED

12-across – A spirit flower : ARUM

14-across – See 27 : OBSOLESCENCE

18-across – Not against being free, independent, cold and hostile? : ANTAGONISTIC

21-across – Artist gets national emblem back to front : KLEE

22-across – Rural cuts affected outside temperature of a building : STRUCTURAL

25-across – Nick, trendy gangster and outlaw : ROBINHOOD

26-across – Hit English name for Japanese dish : RAMEN

27-across – Life-limiting commercial policy of Republican politician harbouring colossal need : PLANNED

28-across – Right, go on – backslide! : RELAPSE

1-down – State needing, say, Andy Murray’s charm : MASCOT

2-down – Top religious school badly hit : ZENITH

3-down – Bloody American banknotes that might be pickled! : REDCABBAGE

4-down – Jelly-like image : ASPIC

5-down – English short of oriental coins at first? Ridiculous! : SENSELESS

6-down – Unsubstantial hob lacking force : AIRY

7-down – Tree of south-western river in Germany : TAMARIND

8-down – Hence no top and bottom on Brown’s hamper : ENCUMBER

13-down – Defiled Lars’ unfinished picture of biblical content? : SCRIPTURAL

15-down – Fittipaldi’s bottom pushed into hot rod in ground, swiftish? : ORNITHOID

16-down – Part of stage scenery support covering sink : BACKDROP

17-down – Compound of element one put into replacement battery : YTTERBIA

19-down – Locks securing army officer, daily : MRSMOP

20-down – Raised edge of dish, say, turned over : FLANGE

23-down – Henry Kissinger’s other bovine feature? : UDDER

24-down – Presently it could be a conspiracy theory – no question : ANON