8-across – Major poet gathers old writer may use this : KEYBOARD

9-across – Kind of 8 for Bohemian composer : DVORAK

10-across – I’m surprised about this person’s 8 part : HOME

11-across – 8 expert in valley with old gnu running wild : GLENNGOULD

12-across – 8 part appearing oddly in duet and Lied then : DELETE

14-across – 8 part is special – great bit of music on piano : SPACEBAR

15-across – 8 experts, irrational during dates, run away : TYPISTS

17-across – Elects to jazz up a kind of 8 : CELESTA

20-across – 8 expert’s skill with Parisian you dressed in hat : ARTTATUM

22-across – Still welcoming Schubert’s prelude for 8 part : INSERT

23-across – 8 expert’s country record on the radio : FRANZLISZT

24-across – Fan recalled electronic 8 production? : TUNE

25-across – Characters on 8s playing set behind saloon? : CARETS

26-across – Surprising candour with advanced command for 8 user : UNACORDA

1-down – Place to play a bit of cricket close to Surrey, making comeback : RECOVERY

2-down – Bright student gets poor grade after better ones : ABLE

3-down – Band – girl band that hasn’t succeeded : BANGLE

4-down – Releasing book, what poetaster writes is unfortunate : ADVERSE

5-down – Country deposing leader after PM is lacking bite : EDENTATE

6-down – Being miserable on drinking wine in canteen : MOROSENESS

7-down – Return of spring by city in the Spanish Main? : PAELLA

13-down – Entices changes in failing sex lives : EXISTENCES

16-down – I appreciate that fifty-one’s contained in digit in sum : TOTALISE

18-down – He’d try on pants, having mournful air : THRENODY

19-down – Squash drink bottles – this leads to a big accident : SMASHUP

21-down – Once again, study school subject, not quite prepared : REREAD

22-down – Where you could find mail train, running by railway’s terminus : INTRAY

24-down – Revolutionary wrong after revolution : TROT

8-across – Behave cruelly towards e.g. cats and dogs : WHIPPETS

9-across – Inspired article about how the Mail sees the Guardian? : AWOKEN

10-across – Current mains supply, with no problem at night : INSOMNIA

11-across – Is a surrogate parent plump, and terribly sad about it? : ADOPTS

12-across – Milliner suffering with sciatica dismisses one being critical of the cloth : ANTICLERICALISM

15-across – Sees Victor wisecracking? : VIEWS

16-across – Serenity shown by sport star : PEACE

20-across – Noble with really vacuous birthday celebrations interrupted by family clodhoppers : COUNTRYBUMPKINS

21-across – Game with racket and ball played flexibly : RUBATO

23-across – Maybe perfect party in Belfast grew fraught : TENSEDUP

25-across – Existentialist inspires head of Princeton University? : CAMPUS

26-across – The police agent from America gets stuffed : FORCEFED

1-down – We hear companion for dining is having a grouse : WHINING

2-down – Labour, at this time: work on job : OPPOSITION

3-down – Youngster driving from here north : TEEN

4-down – Dancer picked up one-step? : ASTAIRE

5-down – Unfortunately rejected wish to hug leader of County Mayo’s close cousin? : SALADCREAM

6-down – Sweet kitty raising tail : POLO

7-down – One may treat a poor canine in depression? It’s barking : DENTIST

13-down – Jersey, say, and stockings worn by posh MPs here : LOWERHOUSE

14-down – Canal worker is a hair fetishist? : LOCKKEEPER

17-down – Soft wood frames you heard getting mass approval : POPULAR

18-down – A peer who fancies men and women is not quite right : ABITOFF

19-down – Persuaded Germany to follow elected fascist leader : INDUCED

22-down – Range of artificial products? Just the wrappers : ALPS

24-down – Person shopping hurried up, back in Primark : NARK

8-across – Great charger, horse entering English battle, briefly : ELEPHANT

9-across – Take, for the auditor: 5/9 of this? : STEEL

10-across – On thoroughfare, carry empty bag : CYST

11-across – Moribund minister moved to have old flame locked up : INEXTREMIS

12-across – Warplane, one moving along quickly? : BOMBER

14-across – Cutter applied to blades, ultimately? : STRIMMER

15-across – Weak figure you love, American : TENUOUS

17-across – Tabloid fixture youth read back after study : SCANDAL

20-across – A doctor getting into cuddle: 5/9 of this? : SPADROON

22-across – Cocktail added to cooking pot: 5/9 of this? : KIRPAN

23-across – Skin primate lost initially cut by 5/9 of this? : ORANGEPEEL

24-across – Weaken stone : FLAG

25-across – Losing time, use 5/9 of this on: 5/9 of this? : SABRE

26-across – It’s me entering evidence of blade’s use: 5/9 of this? : SCIMITAR

1-down – Ductile material to a greater extent: 5/9 of this? : CLAYMORE

2-down – Raised limits, double : SPIT

3-down – Backup divided by circa 22/7: 5/9 of this? : RAPIER

4-down – Unbeliever on the scene of crime? : ATHEIST

5-down – Puzzling corset that is undone : ESOTERIC

6-down – Word such as this put off Pitman : DETERMINER

7-down – Note in hand: 5/9 of this? : GLAIVE

13-down – Tuba discovered in very rare European dance music : BLUEDANUBE

16-down – As remains ift of gift? : UNOPENED

18-down – Setter’s range with Indian music, right : AGARAGAR

19-down – Wind up, smoke emanates from it : INCENSE

21-down – Congregation quite average? : PARISH

22-down – Bacon sandwiches left for physicist : KELVIN

24-down – Stop: 5/9 of this? : FOIL

8-across – Even one needs energy drink : SMOOTHIE

9-across – A maiden, improperly : AMISS

10-across – Firm happy to manipulate records : COOK

11-across – Hopeless couple taken in by bad design : DESPAIRING

12-across – Unit sees to the fire : STOKES

14-across – Inmate at Slade who provides bowman : FLETCHER

16-across – The devil at Newgate, historically? : OLDNICK

18-across – Blackball backward thug caught going too far : BOYCOTT

21-across – Musical is hard on a poet : HAMILTON

23-across – King’s brother sketched article first : ANDREW

24-across – Remarkably good, a romantic type of marriage : MORGANATIC

26-across – Shout for type of beer : ROOT

27-across – Old railway freight left off water in Norfolk : BROAD

28-across – She hates broken trophy : THEASHES

1-down – Always bad keeping time : IMMORTAL

2-down – Hair fastener for rugby player : LOCK

3-down – Island ways broadcast : RHODES

4-down – Sparks as the TV’s not working : SETSOFF

5-down – Doctor Zhivago heroine in spectacular arena : LARA

6-down – Critic and I mixed caustic liquid : NITRICACID

7-down – Doctor can sue practice : USANCE

13-down – One district exchanges partners for this one’s Oval : KENNINGTON

15-down – Conceit, for example, associated with love : EGO

17-down – Stop filming stroke : CUT

19-down – 2 3 melded on card : THETOWER

20-down – With all due ceremony, where Yankee might be born : INSTATE

22-down – Ultimately alone in a crowd – a parasite? : AMOEBA

23-down – Is this Ambridge resident all a-quiver? : ARCHER

25-down – Crossing-point for number of French : NODE

26-down – Groomsmen regularly rebelled : ROSE

1-across – Represent player admitting false start : ACTFOR

5-across – Lee Mack cooked, ate right fish : MACKEREL

9-across – The last word about German and Swiss origin of explorer : AMUNDSEN

10-across – Number in exchange? : NINETY

11-across – Reasonable to follow tight circle to the summit at the top of the mountain? : TAUTOLOGICAL

13-across – Dali working with a stick about injection moulding : DADO

14-across – Old politician in real trouble? That’s ideal! : EXEMPLAR

17-across – Spoken greeting bound to create an event : HIGHJUMP

18-across – See 13 : RAIL

20-across – In case it changes, so absorbed and keen : ENTHUSIASTIC

23-across – Clyde receives this degree : KELVIN

24-across – Tortured soul indeed, having used 3/2 : DELOUSED

25-across – Note this dessert? : ETONMESS

26-across – Say nothing about fever as protective cover : SHEATH

2-down – See 3 : COMB

3-down – Bottom inch of loose end wrong, says nitpicker : FINETOOTH

4-down – Comme Les Folies Bergère de Paris? Quelle partie? : RISQUE

5-down – Object to nose reshaping, note with lines said to be polite : MINDONESPSANDQS

6-down – Gaming equipment provides comfort : CONSOLES

7-down – Boredom oddly not seen in Lennon’s music : ENNUI

8-down – Killing juvenile Chinese may be reported : EUTHANASIA

12-down – Defamation needs a tiny bit of minor adjustment : MALIGNMENT

15-down – This regiment has a kind of music rising above the sound of fire : PARACHUTE

16-down – Annoyance is hidden by subtlety : NUISANCE

19-down – Some islands can be so tall, but not these : ATOLLS

21-down – Sport leader must go to make it a safe environment : HAVEN

22-down – Qualifier in 26 : HEAT