7-across – Nick hugs Maria, mostly a good person : SAMARITAN

8-across – Chocolate producer from a hundred with a gong in 23? : CACAO

9-across – You’re a loser, says European partner : CHECKMATE

10-across – Backstreet securing triumph for Jedward? : TWINS

12-across – Underwear market surrounded by paramilitary force : SMALLS

13-across – Protection from Philistine’s beginning to massacre harmony : IMMUNITY

14-across – Somewhat reactionary cabinet is bewildered by something in cyberspace : WEBSITE

17-across – Fish supplement pawned? : HADDOCK

20-across – See 11 : THOMPSON

22-across – Motto may be ‘to consume a type of fruit’ : TOMATO

24-across – Anonymous 10 could be in range : SNOWY

25-across – See 24 : MOUNTAINS

26-across – See 8 : BEANS

27-across – Cliff top, with a fair easterly breeze, as a place to eat? : CAFETERIA

1-down – Confusion as naughty 11 embraces outgoing youth : MAYHEM

2-down – Functional study shows copper deposit in thick skin : CALCULUS

3-down – Decisive assessment essential in disputed titles : LITMUS

4-down – One takes charge of contraceptive method used on Tina Turner : CAPTAIN

5-down – Naturalist appearing in calendar — WI, naturally! : DARWIN

6-down – It’s not gross to be into witchcraft, it’s attractive : MAGNETIC

11-down – A memo to NHS unusually features politician and actor : EMMA

15-down – Essentially deny the dance being revamped and improved : ENHANCED

16-down – See 3 : TEST

18-down – It’s cruel indeed to be humiliated : DEMEANED

19-down – Rabbits OK to evolve into kangaroos : ANGORAS

21-down – Cutting room ultimately in the red : MOWING

22-down – Kind of town Hollywood is giving silent treatment : TINSEL

23-down – Reporter of fiction here with gang : TINTIN

1-across – Bath hot, dealer lying back, maybe : PERHAPS

5-across – See 22 : WARBECK

10-across – Shape of course about right for figure immediately before square? : FOUR

11-across – Cover dirty path frantically, king passing through : THIRDPARTY

12-across – See man again before short journey : BISHOP

13-across – Builder’s coat put on, hold buttons up : CLADDING

14-across – See 16 : ANDBUTTER

16-across – Study in small hotel, say, sustained income : BREAD

17-across – See 10 : SCORE

19-across – Most definitely gone and done wrong instead? : STONEDEAD

23-across – Fail to deliver breakfast? : LAYANEGG

24-across – Island, unduly round land : TOBAGO

26-across – Daughter behind vehicle in problem with brakes, initially shocked : STRUCKDUMB

27-across – African lions in captivity might go here, did you say? : ZULU

28-across – Strange and foolish? : UNCANNY

29-across – Cheat bedding former lover, sordid practice? : SEXTING

2-down – English nation’s poor rich kid? : ETONIAN

3-down – Rough pot filled with rubbish, primarily : HARSH

4-down – Rhythmic beating of 16 14 : PITAPAT

6-down – An ecclesiastic residing near Machu Picchu, for example : ANDEAN

7-down – Very drunk, run into item of furniture : BLADDERED

8-down – Italian city isn’t built up around area south of walls in Corsica : CATANIA

9-down – Malevolent woman, mean having severed head, eats Australian native : WITCHETTYGRUB

15-down – Predatory fish from Scottish island a bird cut up : BARRACUDA

18-down – Correct number finishing short race : CHASTEN

20-down – Celebrity eating off lap then? : NOTABLE

21-down – African relative carrying wood uphill : ANGOLAN

22-down – Pretender in stream, gaining benefit in fighting at the front : PERKIN

25-down – Audibly, second note’s the first for composer : BIZET

1-across – Frilly corsets for one hand-me-down : LEGACY

4-across – Make dashing leap, finally breaking cup sure to wobble : SPRUCEUP

9-across – Intelligence? Country that elected Bojo’s losing it : BRAINS

10-across – Is French car maintaining parking rule? : ESTOPPEL

11-across – Hornblower’s hard on a corps pursuing gold coin : LOUISARMSTRONG

13-across – What Victor may take, left in misery : SPOILSPORT

14-across – Use taser on left-leaning eccentric : STUN

16-across – Honey bee caught in inlet : BABY

18-across – Uproar at home? Smarten up the mess, say : DININGROOM

21-across – Scatter articles of Spanish novelist : ELLAFITZGERALD

23-across – Setter heard vessel getting slap on the lid : EYELINER

24-across – Fine soldiers knocking on walls : AGREED

25-across – Maybe Oscar Wilde ate these when out to lunch : AESTHETE

26-across – Dry American statesman who led a coup : BRUTUS

1-down – Line on taxi mostly grease : LUBE

2-down – Loves magic works, which may be Puccini : GIACOMO

3-down – Lack cake decorating skills when receiving large number of churchgoers : CANTICLE

5-down – Stamping the time when teachers finally relax? : POSTMARKING

6-down – Warcraft from America’s leader, but so refined : UBOATS

7-down – Former member of RAF moving one’s milk : EXPLOIT

8-down – 2-D shape I’m not sure is for group of plants : POLYGONUM

12-down – Give jobs to the boys? Time for a meeting : APPOINTMENT

13-down – Types info covered by journalist with Time : SUBGENERA

15-down – A German with silver ra-ra skirts overturned jelly : AGARAGAR

17-down – Puts up stakes, fencing badly : BILLETS

19-down – Most slimy East German admits: ‘You can’t believe me’ : OILIEST

20-down – Piscine is rather cold : OFFISH

22-down – Cockney is nowhere to be seen in time of putsch : IDES

8-across – Tilt when boarding does for vessel : DECANTER

9-across – 10’s first cut where 25 kept : RANCH

10-across – Plane, for example, common flyer stripped? : WOOD

11-across – Consuming chewy rope initially, disgusting stuff like that they say is unlawful for performers at 10 25? : INCREDIBLE

12-across – Somebody putting wedge back on rug : BIGWIG

14-across – Private sector that is failing : ESOTERIC

15-across – See 24 down : SHANKAR

17-across – Female doctor I kiss, performer at 10 25 : HENDRIX

20-across – Builder’s drink, particular taste : CUPOFTEA

22-across – Yet to embrace fashion, performers at 10 25 : THEWHO

23-across – A git loading safe weapon for kids : PEASHOOTER

24-across – Bloody exceptional : RARE

25-across – See 10 : STOCK

26-across – Presumably odd time for anticlimax : NONEVENT

1-down – Guzzle tasty sandwiches second : DEMOLISH

2-down – See 11 : BAND

3-down – See 11 : STRING

4-down – Peach biscuit : CRACKER

5-down – 10 25 relations in female dance finished, almost : FREELOVE

6-down – Hit often proving fatal, seeing died, possibly? : INSIDEEDGE

7-down – Cold heart of oil burner? : CHILLI

13-down – Bound to support Gates’s baby, just look at what’s in store! : WINDOWSHOP

16-down – Designs right number of masts on brig, for example, carried by ships : ARTWORKS

18-down – Natural gas in neither fluid : INHERENT

19-down – Temperature inside loco that hasn’t started rising for performers at 10 25 : SANTANA

21-down – Tense difficult, might you say? : UNEASY

22-down – County cricket side in Mediterranean city : TYRONE

24-down – Performer at 10 25 of what a Turk might do to enthral his capital, briefly? : RAVI

7-across – 10001000 teachers might be kind of shy : COCONUT

8-across – Labour employs leading econo­mist over article for growth : TOENAIL

9-across – Small child’s slide? : SKID

10-across – Old church’s financial backers lose pound sterling in trades : EXCHANGES

12-across – Break back carrying wife’s deposits as security : PAWNS

13-across – They send out Mister Messy to collect note : EMITTERS

15-across – In the end policies bore, admit focus groups : SETS

16-across – Partners suppress anger with alarm : SIREN

17-across – Remove stolen contents : WIPE

18-across – Plant has Ubers manufactured : SEASHRUB

20-across – Perhaps Shakespeare eats no meals : BOARD

21-across – Kept, as are exotic birds : PARAKEETS

22-across – Cricket, maybe, is mega-excited : GAME

24-across – Gap garment a third off — over nine grand! : OPENING

25-across – Something unusual in books about lovesick Yankee : NOVELTY

1-down – Men bowled over by fine bird … : ROOK

2-down – … and more court daughter with slow dancing : WOODOWLS

3-down – College in Cambridge or in New York? : QUEENS

4-down – Number it: a 100 written up as symbols : NOTATION

5-down – Champion in utter darkness : KNIGHT

6-down – Nails cut up : PINS

11-down – Former party leader inherits real mess and can be excused : CLEARABLE

12-down – A little bit of quiet on the radio : PIECE

14-down – Even reversing, I would be quick : RAPID

16-down – It’s beautiful out : STRIKING

17-down – Arguments with scientists about fish : WRANGLES

19-down – Hit golf ball badly over river, then withdrew : SHRANK

20-down – Holy man to dance around his building : BISHOP

21-down – Dads drink on Sunday : POPS

23-down – Worried to support married couple : MATE