8-across – Leave fox, say, by lake : FURLOUGH

9-across – Struggle with compilers, reading the Spectator : VIEWER

10-across – Small vehicle, one not supposed to be working : SCAB

11-across – Lacking will to adopt Republican way in US : INTERSTATE

12-across – Hodgepodge of newspaper gossip rejected : RAGBAG

14-across – Force feeble soldier to show rhythmic steps? : FLAMENCO

15-across – Partner’s a dolly bird, ultimately flighty : OLDLADY

17-across – Notice overlapping left back is pugnacious : STROPPY

20-across – Reckon this person’s invested in property : ESTIMATE

22-across – Where you might be putting healthy food : GREENS

23-across – Hinting at hanky-panky, give guests shivers : SUGGESTIVE

24-across – See 21 : DEAL

25-across – Language of Native Americans gathering round lake : CREOLE

26-across – Wood bust, barrel tipped over : CHESTNUT

1-down – Having lead over British by a stroke, where many rounds are likely : PUBCRAWL

2-down – See 13 : CLUB

3-down – Mathematician being revolutionary, ignoring Newton : TURING

4-down – Isolated and quiet university? Swell! : SHUTOFF

5-down – Going topless, paramour’s shy and gloomy : OVERCAST

6-down – Top worker kept for rendezvous, when things start to go bad : BESTBEFORE

7-down – Some cancel tickets for 2 : CELTIC

13-down – Intimidation not unknown by academic staff in Oxford group : BULLINGDON

16-down – Racer’s outfit on TV has beaten rest : DRAGSTER

18-down – Literary procurer caught by cop and a Russian : PANDARUS

19-down – Accompany guards about entrance : BEWITCH

21-down – Conventional wood treatment that’s reasonable : SQUARE

22-down – Faces of great, glacial mount? : GEEGEE

24-down – See 6 : DATE

1-across – Pudding, not starter, interrupting fish dish : SOUFFLE

5-across – See 26 : SABBATH

9-across – Forever turning old and dirty, every second lying back : TIDAL

10-across – On with it! : HAPPENING

11-across – English author the Guardian’s translated is back on the box : CHESTERTON

12-across – Fishwife who survived? : PARR

14-across – In basic parts of music, end improvised around heavy metal for maestri : BANDLEADERS

18-across – Deals with cities built to be stretched? : ELASTICISED

21-across – Bound to need patience, ultimately — a virtue? : HOPE

22-across – Dressing prime minister, one is an oddball : MAYONNAISE

25-across – Short garment beginning to rise in sketch by a couple of artists : RARASKIRT

26-across – Old group ending in tub can’t get c-clean? : BLACK

27-across – Gain in knots with set distance travelled : EASTING

28-across – Outside broadcast on golf tournament : OPENAIR

1-down – Club welcoming hot talent : SHTICK

2-down – State that is dividing America, pants? : UNDIES

3-down – With rigging of ballot admitted, suits go to pieces : FALLTOBITS

4-down – Five into nine, the rational number : ETHER

5-down – Greek dramatist breaks to pocket first of cash, after bribe : SOPHOCLES

6-down – Alcoholic drink preferable, not teetotal : BEER

7-down – A philanthropist controlling computers proves perturbing : AGITATES

8-down – Dangerous Goth losing heart in the clutches of wicked Irish king : HIGHRISK

13-down – Venial story about Pasquale, perhaps? : PARDONABLE

15-down – Blinking Titanic sunk, no good : NICTATING

16-down – Delicate creature, speaking clock needs to rest voice? : SEAHORSE

17-down – Some fortification in fleece and horns, for example? : RAMPARTS

19-down – Capital cheers outstanding nation : TIRANA

20-down – Cock and hen? : PECKER

23-down – Trump gone, party! : OUTDO

24-down – Drink a can, almost : ASTI

1-across – Nurse to show soldiers tablet to arouse : ENERGISE

5-across – In retirement, some staff offering to go away : EFFOFF

9-across – Girl in group to follow one trained to lead : GUIDEDOG

10-across – Disheartened one in mixed school called for attention : COOEED

12-across – Sweep in the morning, empty bags : GAMUT

13-across – Timber 24? : TWOBYFOUR

14-across – Brainless act breaking bit of wind : BASSCLARINET

18-across – Lying bums hide beneath their disguise : FALSEBOTTOMS

21-across – Indian being place with hot produce : SLOTHBEAR

23-across – 6 oddly died on film : VIDEO

24-across – Boxer twice making excuses for failure : ALIBIS

25-across – Strike pay condition making it hard to walk? : CLUBFOOT

26-across – Attempts papers : ESSAYS

27-across – PC getting off cocaine drunk beers in unknown numbers : CYBERSEX

1-down – Take on English date : ENGAGE

2-down – Mystery Machine’s case, again leader lost Shaggy? : ENIGMA

3-down – Serious Daphne essentially missing Scooby-Doo? : GREATDANE

4-down – Meddling kids initially snoop, eh? Most plausible : SMOOTHSPOKEN

6-down – Rear characters in Scooby-Doo following one that likes to eat : FOODY

7-down – Private 11? : ONETOONE

8-down – Ally of Freddie regularly dropped charge : FEDERATE

11-down – Firm left recent meeting in a way that’s subsidiary : COLLATERALLY

15-down – Terrible bore, Velma can be detached : REMOVABLE

16-down – Bad leg not visible during play : OFFSTAGE

17-down – They could be vacant females taking debauched one inside? : FLOOSIES

19-down – Horrid Scrappy-Doo is taking a turn : ODIOUS

20-down – Top layer runs into bed with old lover : CORTEX

22-down – Terrifying Shaggy : HAIRY

1-across – 24, extremely late after period of 20 hours? : MONDALE

5-across – Project concealing road defect : FAILING

9-across – Bound books, note inside : LIMIT

10-across – Democrat in backing 24, out of bounds : FORBIDDEN

11-across – Bill’s encapsulated by combination of corn and bean stew : CARBONNADE

12-across – By the sound of it, puzzle 5 across : FLAW

14-across – Noisy battle developing in stubborn manner : OBSTINATELY

18-across – 24, English man on pitch : ROCKEFELLER

21-across – 24 last to return : EVIL

22-across – Embellished passage actual, or doubly fanciful : COLORATURA

25-across – European revolutionary following queen in this short play : THERIVALS

26-across – Authority to get broadcast? : SAYSO

27-across – Aardvark — this beast originally coming in close behind start of alphabet : ANTBEAR

28-across – Mundane letters from listener : TERRENE

1-down – Venom in cobras initially collected by boy, say? : MALICE

2-down – A thousand in African country abandoning river on the rise, departed : NOMORE

3-down – Sign reader lost, ergo a lost traveller, ultimately : ASTROLOGER

4-down – Slight mistake: all of Saudi Arabian conclusions : ELFIN

5-down – Shoot monkey in safety procedure : FIREDRILL

6-down – One put on gravy, but not to bird : IBIS

7-down – Pampers: sticky glue in diapers emptied : INDULGES

8-down – Passages mob considers, recited : GANGWAYS

13-down – Terrifying thing that may skin something like a rabbit, did you say? : HAIRRAISER

15-down – Old herbivore wiggling ears with gusto : STEGOSAUR

16-down – Time to feed author a drink : GREENTEA

17-down – Part of the mind hampered by stress — that’s unfortunate : ACCIDENT

19-down – 24 listening to shrink : QUAYLE

20-down – Everywhere, 24 pinching himself? : GALORE

23-down – Working class beginning : ONSET

24-down – Tool 5 across : VICE

7-across – Old blue tit losing it with one on an egg? : THATCHER

9-across – A shoe merchant’s last piece of luck : AMULET

10-across – Keep flat away from Cornish town : STOW

11-across – Killjoy in battle knew to yield : WETBLANKET

12-across – Close to fence, look for each individual who’s run away : ELOPER

14-across – Echoes, hollow echoes within circles : RESOUNDS

15-across – Pedestrian 7’s man : WALKER

17-across – 7’s man got a grip after risk backfired : TEBBIT

20-across – In expression of sur­prise, peer round a state : COLORADO

22-across – 7’s man drops the issue for cake : PARKIN

23-across – Head of lovely flower laid back, in image I relish : PICCALILLI

24-across – Shaved man, close : NIGH

25-across – Grass skirts like that for 7’s man : LAWSON

26-across – Model is with artier collector’s items : RARITIES

1-down – Code of the Klan, perhaps, for 7’s man : WHITELAW

2-down – Cook a little paste, wasabi : STEW

3-down – 7’s man right to support leader in shady mob : SHOWER

4-down – Thread under machine exhausted in border town : CARLISLE

5-down – Speed deciding game beneath Scottish water : BURNRUBBER

6-down – Story for Foot? : LEGEND

8-down – English author not starting to get up, go to bed : RETIRE

13-down – Down in special stuffed item of bed linen : PILLOWCASE

16-down – Hillary Clinton’s problem was Bill ultimately — imagine it’s awkward : EMAILING

18-down – Package finally received by soldiers deprived of rations — their names unknown : THINGIES

19-down – 7’s man more repulsive, they say? : FOWLER

21-down – I see I love an American statesman : OHIOAN

22-down – Religious community like 7’s man? : PRIORY

24-down – Loud tie for 7’s man : NOTT