1-across – Bill’s relative keeps Charlie company : ACCOUNT

5-across – Aussie rugby international’s fool to tackle All Blacks’ biggest units : WALLABY

9-across – Stretch and run,feel pain after cycling : REACH

10-across – <span>Person getting break on </span><i>QI</i><span>?</span> : LIFEFORCE

11-across – This could make Liam hide? : PAPEROVER

12-across – Determined game was up : RULED

13-across – Suit : SIGNS

15-across – Stunned as Bambi became this grand deer with animation : STAGGERED

18-across – 90 got through on buzzer to go to the loo : BEEXCUSED

19-across – Edward VI possibly died thrashing about on reflection : TUDOR

21-across – News article on ambassador to add colour? : HENNA

23-across – Penny read about politician being prone to stalking : PREDATORY

25-across – Alan Turing’s beginning to comprehend Nazis’ smart tech he attacks : ASSAILANT

26-across – Hotel of inferior quality – not the first in Whitley Bay? : HORSE

27-across – How’s your father’s leg strain initially? See how far you can push it? : TRYITON

28-across – Man cleared out space in resort and pitches tents : ENCAMPS

1-down – A very large rugby player breaks fitting : APROPOS

2-down – Rich red and variety of canapes might do inside : CHAMPAGNE

3-down – You,me and that Girl Guide : USHER

4-down – Shows guys making American jeans : TELEVISES

5-down – Returning uncooked iron-enriched biscuit : WAFER

6-down – These parts of 26 will get her everywhere : LEFTRIGHT

7-down – Case of protestor getting into trouble in days immediately following March : APRIL

8-down – Bore seeing almost all eyelids sadly,drooping at the start : YIELDED

14-down – See 2 : SOCIALIST

16-down – See 6 : ANDCENTRE

17-down – Player of music ultimately wanting in on Mardi Gras parties : RADIOGRAM

18-down – From memory,Spooner’s greeting a Simpson : BYHEART

20-down – Short song by Queen covered by extremely raucous rappers? : RHYMERS

22-down – Snooping on revolutionary agreed in retrospect : NOSEY

23-down – Discussed aircraft’s manifest : PLAIN

24-down – For this special purpose,stir round hot and cold : ADHOC

1-across – Type of novel ice,not scenic if cracked : SCIENCE

5-across – See 1 : FICTION

9-across – Ray meeting first lady magistrate : REEVE

10-across – Vagrant makes one point before shouting : ITINERANT

11-across – Concluded special finish to exhaust : OVERSPEND

12-across – The old boring mean settler : PAYER

13-across – Ruins potatoes? : SMASH

15-across – Expert ship’s captain mostly occupied : MASTERFUL

18-across – Liking the present,love? It’s a starter : ANTIPASTO

19-across – Alarm son accompanying trim Papas’ woman : SIREN

21-across – Coach tyres unable to operate reliably at the beginning : TUTOR

23-across – Lacking love,Chinese philosophy embraces yelling and uncontrolled dancing : TARANTISM

25-across – Instrument associated with West African city and lake : MARACAIBO

26-across – Move out of the way of car : DODGE

27-across – Sounds right wearing underwear at first in hot baths : THERMAL

28-across – See 27 : SPRINGS

1-down – Determined effort to meet upstairs for massage : SERIOUS

2-down – Unsophisticated member enthralled by trendy European worker : INELEGANT

3-down – Press’s outspoken demands : NEEDS

4-down – Skin rash oddly deep,I’m starting to itch,unfortunately : EPIDERMIS

5-down – Type of food : FRIED

6-down – Guy with cape swallowing drug that 12 might like : CHEAPNESS

7-down – I can show one score,not 150 : ITALY

8-down – <span>Maybe </span><i>Cocaine</i><span>’s indicative of normal songs</span> : NATURAL

14-down – Overexcited setter to noisily approach flowering plant : HYPERICUM

16-down – Places that display musical boards? : SHOWROOMS

17-down – In favour of ex-president : FORBIDDEN

18-down – See 1 : ATTEMPT

20-down – See 8 : NUMBERS

22-down – Some barristers examine brief : TERSE

23-down – Test introduction of tandoori bread in the Middle East : TRIAL

24-down – Bottom part of horrid android’s turned up : NADIR

9-across – So we clear out capital? No : LOWERCASE

10-across – Pythagoras selectively doing his shopping here? : AGORA

11-across – Return regularly with such hopeless ineffectual people : EUNUCHS

12-across – A mother with energy that’s sensational : AMAZING

13-across – Love little tribute : OBIT

14-across – Outlaw the Y-chromosome? : MALEFACTOR

16-across – Having decided what to do with the last of equipment and possessions : TESTATE

17-across – Serving gets gold level : PLATEAU

19-across – Casually chatted about blokes ‘being cool’ : DETACHMENT

22-across – Young German friend of 23 : JUNG

24-across – One who wanted more after bagging one award : OLIVIER

25-across – Road not negotiable in this : TORNADO

26-across – What one may save to rescue artist : BACON

27-across – Powerful ambassador touched on nuclear annihilation : HERCULEAN

1-down – Bird settled down first on a kind of trap : BLUEFOOTEDBOOBY

2-down – It’s coming up in newest development of the decade : TWENTIES

3-down – Support for couple : BRACE

4-down – Heaps in poor condition? : BADSHAPE

5-down – Iron man or woman : FEMALE

6-down – Boat to have sufficient power to go round a river : CATAMARAN

7-down – Then life in France finally went communist : SOVIET

8-down – Like some liaisons,golf and drinks could be a minefield : DANGEROUSGROUND

15-down – Permits and penalties : SANCTIONS

17-down – Flat joke on broken truce : PUNCTURE

18-down – Followed suit and dealt inappropriately with Australian native : EMULATED

20-down – Little movement from child drinking whisky : TWITCH

21-down – As the Fens are where contrary girl’s kept quiet : MARSHY

23-down – Romeo,beset by trouble between Capulets and Montagues,gets a therapist : FREUD

8-across – Mistake to put ‘male’ after only matching gender observed at birth : SOLECISM

9-across – See 17 Down : POETS

10-across – <span>Emperor having cameo in </span><i>They Shoot Horses,Don’t They?</i> : OTHO

11-across – Teacher prepares fruit for markers : HEADSTONES

12-across – Dislike of despicable supervillain leads to dangerous game ending : GRUDGE

14-across – Brief stops Romeos taking forever : LAYOVERS

16-across – Make provision for poison tentacle tips in a frisky toad : ADAPTTO

18-across – <i>Brief Encounter</i><span> at start of quarantine: you said,‘That’s horrible,that is’</span> : QUICKIE

21-across – Barking Scot has scraggly beard – even for a poet : ABERDEEN

23-across – Source of Russian news takes on the Spanish threads : TASSEL

24-across – Long shot,but here’s an opportunity to diet : SLIMCHANCE

26-across – In suspense? Half excited? Try always turning round : AGOG

27-across – Canniness concealing squares : NINES

28-across – These knocked back by Westminster set if drunk : SWIFTIES

1-down – See 17 : TORTURED

2-down – See 26 : HERO

3-down – See 15 : WITHME

4-down – Have I got it in me to be ‘nice’? : AMIABLE

5-down – Chooses shady spot : OPTS

6-down – Once more assigns blame for space to play on six courts : RECONVICTS

7-down – Honest to God,I burn within? : ISWEAR

13-down – See 17 : DEPARTMENT

15-down – Elbowing youth aside,setter’s a hit among 28 : YOU

17-down – Where Angelou and Auden are put on the rack for collection favoured by 28? : THE

19-down – Reserve at port grew cold : ICEDOVER

20-down – Windy mansion that makes one go blind? : ONANISM

22-down – See 15 : BELONG

23-down – The spies’ line of argument : THESIS

25-down – Hong Kong accepts American protection : HUSK

26-down – ‘Morally flawed protagonist’ for 28 is another I messed up : ANTI

1-across – Makeshift untried army beaten : RUDIMENTARY

9-across – Busy preparing for wedding : ENGAGED

10-across – Grand thriller writer? I bet : GAMBLER

11-across – To Saturn,a trip for her : ASTRONAUT

12-across – Stick around hospital with a woman : RHODA

13-across – What the uncaring owl doesn’t give? : HOOT

14-across – Fit after work out,not too expensive : REASONABLE

16-across – Athlete murdered golfer : SHOTPUTTER

19-across – I must sit in oily car : FIAT

20-across – Holiday island’s clubs,four in resort : CORFU

21-across – Picture police build up of one kitten I’d mistreated : IDENTIKIT

23-across – Such relaxing music in the morning wreathed around one : AMBIENT

24-across – River,one under Wimbledon Common? : ORINOCO

25-across – Worthless sort of notepaper is stupid : EMPTYHEADED

1-down – How to handle a privy counsellor? : RIGHTHONOURABLE

2-down – Quietly hiding pet,leave : DOGGO

3-down – No time to contemplate – intervene : MEDIATE

4-down – Renders ineffective nearly new entrances : NEGATES

5-down – Enjoying watching rigid man relaxing : ADMIRING

6-down – Way to fictional city made of monochrome Lego? : YELLOWBRICKROAD

7-down – Philosopher went to see a doctor : METAPHYSICIAN

8-down – Annotate minor change in embellishment : ORNAMENTATION

15-down – Neaten Christmas tree after erection : SPRUCEUP

17-down – Lisper heard to struggle with start of Med island,so weedy : THISTLY

18-down – I complete speaking,getting something to look through : EYEHOLE

22-down – Chinese gang sending up missile across India : TRIAD