1-across – Sad feeling, Brexit dealer beyond hellish place : DISMAY

4-across – Sex in urinals once ordered for a pound, say? : ANIMAL

9-across – See 15 : CAVA

10-across – Part of series back on screen : SECONDTEST

11-across – Good houses giving poor boys food : BUMSON

12-across – Dividing the country, is monarch Republican or Unionist? : IRISHMAN

13-across – Sweet thing ending in harmony, some land slipping back into water : LAYERCAKE

15-across – Not quite finished opening a wine vessel : VENA

16-across – Scottish town that may be lit : WICK

17-across – Bit of a bloomer around setback for experienced politicians : STATESMEN

21-across – One’s possessed coin made in error : DEMONIAC

22-across – Retired setter with head on stamp : EMBOSS

24-across – Doctor done with flu and visibly embarrassed, struggled : FLOUNDERED

25-across – Song enjoyed, though disheartened : LIED

26-across – Dull seeing bottom within limits of decency : DREARY

27-across – African understanding why many avoiding the borders : KENYAN

1-down – Almost entirely posh character ascendant in novel : DRACULA

2-down – See 11 : SEATS

3-down – As scenario briefly unfolding : ARSENIC

5-down – Sister taking so long to dismiss a church representative : NUNCIO

6-down – Without rivals, unable to play? : MATCHLESS

7-down – Concert venue providing some basic singing, including opera, though not needing to : LASCALA

8-down – Tons and tons in 10 across, perhaps? : ACRICKETSCORE

14-down – See 4 : ENCLOSURE

16-down – Reportedly handle like a car, perhaps? : WHEELED

18-down – Has unruly lad gone climbing? Put one’s foot down here : TREADLE

19-down – Near middle, back from Asia? : EASTERN

20-down – See 23 : WILDER

23-down – Film director: goat less domesticated : BILLY

9-across – Potential share for peacemaker — that’s how this ends : SWORD

10-across – Getting better, those people conclude, after operating : ONTHEMEND

11-across – Play cricket on second XI, followed by hot relaxing treatment : STEAMBATH

12-across – Abrasive European happy taking one right away : EMERY

13-across – From vessel I’m able to see inside Rome : VATICAN

15-across – Object when put in torn garments : RAIMENT

17-across – Stormy, is it? After regular cancellations, agree to meet : TRYST

18-across – Feature of dress that may attract attention : HEM

20-across – Promote officer after fire returned : EXALT

22-across – Crass advice about people’s survival ‘sans pain’? : LETTHEM

25-across – See 22 : EATCAKE

26-across – Cardinal, say, disrupting firm belief : CREDO

27-across – He reported storm at sea, danger to shipping : MAELSTROM

30-across – Make too many plans? Not a good balance : OVERDRAFT

31-across – Chaps who work out rapprochement, in part : HEMEN

1-down – Deity leads a double life : ISIS

2-down – Time inside too cold at first — being kept under wraps : COVERTLY

3-down – Male attached to one palindromic female … : ADAM

4-down – … and another holding ring, small expression of adoration : HOSANNAH

5-down – Creator of printed works, 100 in number : ETCHER

6-down – One foreign coin produced after complaint about new kind : BENEFICENT

7-down – Demanding part, central character in Othello : SEVERE

8-down – Finishes off prize crossword, being very nervous : EDGY

13-down – Temperature in medicine bottle’s key : VITAL

14-down – Eye trousers initially exchanged — they’re said to be trendy : CATCHWORDS

16-down – It’s in the tax once faithfully paid : TITHE

19-down – Wartime emergency gear for pilots in a mess, wet after coming to grief : MAEWESTS

21-down – For instance, they include ant since also an insect : ANAGRAMS

23-down – Nice view? Some parts are like that : THEMED

24-down – One sailor, saying nothing, turned up in Asian port : MUMBAI

26-down – Make sound of one bird or another : CROW

28-down – Part of West End not quite as fashionable : SOHO

29-down – Before university, people posted list of courses : MENU

1-across – Bowled, chance of a draw wasted : BLOTTO

4-across – Cutter in dance is no longer tacking? : JIGSAW

9-across – See 21 : PARK

10-across – Someone spying first of pins grasped by marker of territory? : PEEPINGTOM

11-across – Spring, when one has cup upset : POUNCE

12-across – See 23 : THECROWS

13-across – SIX : STEAMSHIP

15-across – How one’s coffee may be ordered in African country : TOGO

16-across – For all to see in May for example, a wild animal : PUMA

17-across – Lover’s pet snakes failed to stir : OVERSLEPT

21-across – Skilful, I start crossing on football ground : GOODISON

22-across – Help player, having missed header : ASSIST

24-across – Having suffered main loss in difficult battle, Chelsea take on dangerous responsibility : BELLTHECAT

25-across – Curse at my gags : OATH

26-across – Nothing coming in when delivery happened, track item without a name? : DOOBRY

27-across – Comic’s ending in second place — that’s easy : BREEZE

1-down – See 19 : BOATOUT

2-down – Woody Allen movie, black melodrama, hero ultimately sent up : OAKEN

3-down – xposed? : TOPLESS

5-down – In the same book, I remain magnificent, initially : IBIDEM

6-down – Lumps in it perhaps, take up American dress on creature of the night : SUGARBOWL

7-down – How novel twice has inspired second reference book : WHOSWHO

8-down – Bones to cover still, penning a fine book : DEATHINVENICE

14-down – Animal appendage getting a bash, suffering cuts : ARMADILLO

16-down – Start low, catching French horn up : PROCEED

18-down – Cleric guarding a nuclear structure : REACTOR

19-down – Go to town, or go to sea? : PUSHTHE

20-down – Stocked by libraries, the reference book : ESTHER

23-down – Man alive seen to empty trash out before a murder : STONE

8-across – Sweet thing, a magnificent sea reflection? : DEMERARA

9-across – Fine muscular swimmer : HUNKY

10-across – Stretch of road I took, underground passage : ADIT

11-across – Act entitled to be amended — where to ratify it? : DOTTEDLINE

12-across – See 18 : FENCES

14-across – Business heading west in report, move premises : RELOCATE

15-across – Driven thing with little power, sadly Blair not in control : RELIANT

17-across – Troll, rather ugly, immediately starts texting platitudes : TRUISMS

20-across – Where it may get windy, paper in government department secured by device that grips : CLIFFTOP

22-across – Introduction of cog with a square tooth : CANINE

23-across – Grounded supporters don’t allow scoundrels to follow Colchester United, initially : CUBANHEELS

24-across – See 2 : DOOR

25-across – See 15 : ROBIN

26-across – Lad needing a rise, struggling in paid work : SALARIED

1-down – Speaking budgie, oddly, gets hostile attention? : BEADYEYE

2-down – Very close hybrid of rodent and ox : NEXT

3-down – Animals with long faces sleep upside down : PANDAS

4-down – Attack row of cages : BATTERY

5-down – One coaxing Turner to capture daughter : WHEEDLER

6-down – Change of tone, when fifty overwhelmed by disease : INFLECTION

7-down – Seal discussed, little one owned by the Crown, perhaps? : CYGNET

13-down – Fabric he altered with large cut for religious leader : CHIEFRABBI

16-down – Producing a score, composer at first in love : NOTCHING

18-down – Make up scene with demons dancing around marshland : MENDONES

19-down – Calm down, feeding vegetables to animal : APPEASE

21-down – Slat by tradition letting some rays through? : LOUVRE

22-down – Total outsiders accommodated by patient man : CASTLE

24-down – See 9 : DORY

1-across – In back room, rare vodka highball served thus? : OVERARM

5-across – Stay after passport centre makes a bit of a mess : SPLODGE

9-across – This way acceptable to back sadistic pervert : SICKO

10-across – Deck tours guided by Meat Loaf, Cher, Jagger and Bowie? : ROCKDUETS

11-across – Wrecking old city besieged by poor design : DESTROYING

12-across – See 2 : GUY

14-across – It’s essential to back newspaper feature after plan is redrafted : SPINALCOLUMN

18-across – Adieu, extinct bats! There’s something wrong : INEXACTITUDE

21-across – Note abbreviated sense of humour : SOH

22-across – Signed off, old and detached : DISENGAGED

25-across – How a lady starts getting excited, with hesitation : HALTINGLY

26-across – In advance, securing room to manoeuvre a murder victim : EARLO

27-across – Don’s trip with boy : SLIPSON

28-across – Hides from this attempt to imprison queen : TANNERY

1-down – Edison contrived a legal position for play : ONSIDE

2-down – 13 following Hendrix, an apology for manly affection? : EXCUSE

3-down – Doubtful this could make Carol happy : APOCRYPHAL

4-down – See 26 : MORAY

5-down – Support an old Sodomite’s offering early in auction : SECONDLOT

6-down – Legendary demon upset one who reportedly perished with the 26 4 : LADY

7-down – Dared to drop a clue for eg ‘exhume something unpleasant’ : DREDGEUP

8-down – Trying volatile gases to suppress the female principle : ESSAYING

13-down – See 6 : MONDEGREEN

15-down – With which one is naked and free : NOTHINGON

16-down – See 2 : KISSTHIS

17-down – See 2 : MEWHILEI

19-down – Your mate regularly seen chasing silver markets : AGORAE

20-down – Folly of designer cut when cold outside : IDIOCY

23-down – Country messing with one genotype? : EGYPT

24-down – Do not hit girl! : MISS