1-across – Plaintiff framing base journalist : SUBEDITOR

6-across – No stomach for bottle in small restaurant : CAFE

8-across – Artist having a bash, after performing in Shakespearean role : LEONARDO

9-across – See 19 : MANTEL

10-across – At the outset, orphan donning shoes is buoyant : FLOATS

11-across – Author is assimilating magazine covered by poet and inner self : DANIELLE

12-across – Arrogant nonsense after winning : UPPISH

15-across – Right losing ten in split, likely to respond under stress : REACTIVE

16-across – Oz native finding everyone in action outrageously offensive, initially : WALLAROO

19-across – Try a name to conjure with in bluff author : HILARY

21-across – End with short break in Spain, getting the most out of it? : TIPSIEST

22-across – Believer in a single cause working in film : MONIST

24-across – Author in prime of life, aspire grotesquely to shroud it in darkness : MURIEL

25-across – Cuckoo stealing 500 kerchiefs : BANDANAS

26-across – Composer partial to rubber gloves : BERG

27-across – Excavation in Egyptian capital with illustrations including hieroglyphs, primarily : EARTHWORK

1-down – See 11 : STEEL

2-down – Asian mountain dog ultimately a boxer : BENGALI

3-down – Author interfering with ambassador is less ingratiating : DORIS

4-down – Thus custom-made also, equestrian doesn’t require one : TOORDER

5-down – Agonising marathon laps beginning to bite where one would take a dip : ROMANBATH

6-down – Scam posted for approval : CONSENT

7-down – Sybarite requires some cash to host dance : FREELIVER

13-down – Common utterance from first character in passion play : PLATITUDE

14-down – Author runs into footballer in fabled loser : HARPERLEE

17-down – See 3 : LESSING

18-down – Time for a revolution has to be right under our callous leaders : OCTOBER

20-down – In days of yore, Queen’s ending silence in Game of Thrones? : LONGAGO

22-down – Artist to chew over : MUNCH

23-down – See 24 : SPARK

1-across – 1000 1000 1000 — regular telnet, say : COMMENT

5-across – Grow striking moobs when ingesting powerful drugs, ultimately : BLOSSOM

9-across – Chances, as king’s knight retreats in the opening : RISKS

10-across – Campaign speech concerns exercise : OPERATION

11-across – Ready for new ideas, I depend on swing to take maiden : OPENMINDED

12-across – Deliver joint on Sunday : SHIP

14-across – Scottish heaven and hell? A lot confused about England’s crown : LANDOTHELEAL

18-across – Small drinks for each offspring of athlete : SPORTSPERSON

21-across – Why a printer won’t print noise? : OINK

22-across – They catch MPs sat squabbling over euro problem : MOUSETRAPS

25-across – First girl to swallow gallon in one? Fabulous! : IMAGINARY

26-across – Democrat hailed some carriage : RATHA

27-across – Jazz singer’s festival : HOLIDAY

28-across – Meal project forgets starters in London : EASTEND

1-down – Fraud takes skill to make a packet : CARTON

2-down – Pick up a stumping, then English runs follow Moeen’s debut : MASTER

3-down – Medicine pill initially consumed by some poorly sailors : EPSOMSALTS

4-down – Spike’s t-trumpet : THORN

5-down – Guard busy person with something light, not hard : BEEFEATER

6-down – Work with metal and stone : OPAL

7-down – More delicate girls go crazy over The Kinks : SLIGHTER

8-down – Functioning swimming pool in my exclusive control : MONOPOLY

13-down – When comedian Sue is alone, get up and start baking pastries : LEMONTARTS

15-down – Qualification on the boundaries of clarity and tact : DIPLOMACY

16-down – Surprise is hard when following Villa : ASTONISH

17-down – Rain leads to ruin : DOWNFALL

19-down – Barista’s first latte order causes row : BATTLE

20-down – Not sea? So ___ : ISLAND

23-down – Fashion line inside — it’s painful on the eye : STYLE

24-down – Time for a lark, perhaps : BIRD

7-across – Criminal must lie, covering up a sham : SIMULATE

9-across – Broadcast Mass in French for people in service : AIRMEN

10-across – Axes keep paint evenly off the wall : ZANY

11-across – Look after water supply in Scottish club : MOTHERWELL

12-across – Orca about 45 inches back in the drink : KILLER

14-across – Way to march forwards on pitch, then sulk on the way back : LOCKSTEP

15-across – Not in wrong camp : OUTSIDE

17-across – Criticise lightweight’s characterful text : PANGRAM

20-across – Literary captain stores record and French letters : ALPHABET

22-across – Edging in front of brown Fiat : BORDER

23-across – Disobeying one far-right group going around : INFRINGING

24-across – Herb said to make basis for sauce : ROUX

25-across – Nice one! Pro on lake is to remove bindings : UNLACE

26-across – Artist very cutting in short farce : TRAVESTY

1-down – Sweet farm animal I dressed in fancy suit : TIRAMISU

2-down – Platform by the sea’s as rickety in the end : QUAY

3-down – Jack’s replaced head of tool: it blocks signals : JAMMER

4-down – Knight, south of sunken area, spies Spanish city : VALENCIA

5-down – Brother returning sauce bottles has sweetener : BROWNSUGAR

6-down – Vigour of compilers primarily liking deception : WELLIE

8-down – Praises sex changes, receiving flipping good deal : EXTOLS

13-down – Ultra harsh, after trashing final performance : LASTHURRAH

16-down – Drivel in legal document is shown to be wrong : DEBUNKED

18-down – Decent English queen caught in a tryst : ADEQUATE

19-down – Severe Conservative dismissed by press : STRICT

21-down – Bit of muslin in glove? : LINING

22-down – Super computer’s menu choice : BIGMAC

24-down – Run and charge around in rocky area : REEF

7-across – In unpleasant way, skin horribly lousy : HIDEOUSLY

8-across – 9 6 16, eccentric American : CAMUS

9-across – We dominate, are pale-hued; ripe for revision, me? : DEADWHITE

10-across – 9 6 16 attributed to Reagan? : BYRON

12-across – 9 6 16 Jack, leading scorer in two legs : JONSON

13-across – Seabird never rejected skin of shark : SHAGREEN

14-across – Our team in African capital find cold reception : WELCOME

17-across – 9 6 16 with Richard, regulars at tennis : DICKENS

20-across – Pipe turned in spiral shape almost by old woman : NARGILEH

22-across – Glower, about to lend out : CANDLE

24-across – 9 6 16, usually first in a haunt of vice : AUDEN

25-across – Scrooge, say, broke, about to chuck last bit away : SKINFLINT

26-across – Dog refusing lead at end of day, troubled by fleas? : ITCHY

27-across – John’s eating no end of sausage in place in New Mexico : LOSALAMOS

1-down – 9 6 16 church has half of Room 101 at the front : CICERO

2-down – Going from either end over diocese, travelling the shortest route : GEODESIC

3-down – 9 6 16 dunking roll in tea? The opposite : BUCHAN

4-down – Discrimination, the charge against 9 6 16s? : ELITISM

5-down – Barman’s wife is in bed : LAWYER

6-down – See 9 : EUROPEAN

11-down – 9 6 16 is up to receive top honours : SAKI

15-down – Rising, point to foreign character: Beware void! : EVACUATE

16-down – See 9 : MALE

18-down – 9 6 16’s work: regal ruin, as family’s taken over : KINGLEAR

19-down – Tick on list, we hear, 9 6 16 : CHEKHOV

21-down – 9 6 16 massaged ego, then stopped short : GOETHE

22-down – 9 6 16 hoax involving American gunmen : CONRAD

23-down – 9 6 16 part of Germany, more central : LANDOR

1-across – Charlie’s ban on banter, perhaps … : HALFWIT

5-across – … quite the opposite, as good man breaking oath of old : EGGHEAD

9-across – Splendid local offering sent back : REGAL

10-across – Necessity is in recompense : REQUISITE

11-across – One hooked on bars? : CHOCOHOLIC

12-across – In Hyderabad, a legume? : DAL

14-across – Criminal snatches item, getting reprimand : CHASTISEMENT

18-across – Unfortunately, I’m too warty to impress old lover, a turn-off : MOTORWAYEXIT

21-across – Mock paper : RAG

22-across – Unsportingly unsporting? : NOTCRICKET

25-across – In list, people may be found : TRACEABLE

26-across – Total idiot missing introduction : UTTER

27-across – First of patients, moreover, carried by the other make of stretcher : SPANDEX

28-across – In European airport, wine on the counter regulated : ORDERLY

1-down – University out of time on brilliant poet : HORACE

2-down – Many, for example, feeding cat : LEGION

3-down – Plant is expected to hang initially within straggly bower : WILLOWHERB

4-down – Middle of body approximately below top in theory : TORSO

5-down – Lovely flower beds go — is cutting? : EXQUISITE

6-down – Sand in bottle : GRIT

7-down – Villain or devil incarnate, ultimately infernal : EVILDOER

8-down – Neither won nor lost many — chose randomly : DREWLOTS

13-down – Fruits served up with very little bread, flowing only somewhat? : SEMILIQUID

15-down – Opposition on the case, punch the air! : SHADOWBOX

16-down – Holding flag up, Australian natives found in honourable retirement : EMERITUS

17-down – Suffering evidence, magistrate lacking in religious education bamboozled : STIGMATA

19-down – Finally, loveless princess put on right slipper? : SKATER

20-down – Narrative including header in equaliser, getting level : STOREY

23-down – Doctrine was concerned with love, no answer to it : CREDO

24-down – Elephants perhaps identified by the ears, they say? : HERD