8-across – Drink and drink, missing a round – pass one : COCACOLA

9-across – Intrude force in go-slow? : TRUDGE

10-across – Weirdo gives horse to king : GEEK

11-across – Knuckle down to working one’s ____ to the ____ : FINGERBONE

12-across – Guardian articles a model among a lot of newspapers? : FOURTH

14-across – Don’t let one drink to the foregoing : SUPPRESS

15-across – The first 45 minutes slightly burns the pictures in a residential area : HOUSING

17-across – Liberal use of writing? : BRAILLE

20-across – Road on Riviera or in southwest England, as they say? : CORNICHE

22-across – See 2 : ENGINE

23-across – Stairs – outside stairs – as removed and destroyed at dawn : FIRSTLIGHT

24-across – After 24 down, the 12 means freedom : JULY

25-across – Terrible tease at first part of 3 concerned with 15 : ESTATE

26-across – Sugary affair heard to come back after being booed? : MERINGUE

1-down – Aria from bird of peace – like this number? : DOVESONO

2-down – Thomas Ken put in fruit without hesitation : TANK

3-down – Clown turning up on a high with a scrubber : LOOFAH

4-down – Listener’s home, the grave? : EARNEST

5-down – A term pet used to adapt old style : ATTEMPER

6-down – Truancy where being 4 was important for the interment of a small cake : BUNBURYING

7-down – See 25 : AGENTS

13-down – One with a great future? Rats! : RISINGSTAR

16-down – Mr Bean, raised outside prison, provides 22across 15s : NACELLES

18-down – Lion and mule entangled on the floor : LINOLEUM

19-down – Ice for a short time in Italy : BERGAMO

21-down – Not necessary to expose 10 toes : OTIOSE

22-down – Milk from the next or the next but one house : EXTORT

24-down – I keep a French month : JUNE

1-across – Anger at nasty smell from plant : BORAGE

4-across – Lovely Carol eating potatoes : SMASHING

9-across – Italian territory to which American and Canadian go : TUSCAN

10-across – Lost in a tower, some characters found passage reappearing : OSTINATO

11-across – Piece of cartilage given six chops – dire op bungled? : XIPHOIDPROCESS

13-across – Mark on script by a man in charge looking after things : CARETAKING

14-across – One may be seen as old after end of first year! : TYRO

16-across – Book that’s recalled in English test : TOME

18-across – Note a register with hardly any notes? : MINIMALIST

21-across – One rebelling is transformed by books of Bible, becoming peaceful : NONBELLIGERENT

23-across – One may be surprised when they go up – must be hairy! : EYEBROWS

24-across – Against having a girl around as a slave : VASSAL

25-across – Contests organised by general in one of his towns? : TOURNEYS

26-across – On the street catch the sound of old newspaperman : HEARST

1-down – What could be outside room at end of spout? : BUTT

2-down – Runs coming with one big hit more likely to get you caught out : RISKIER

3-down – Black stuff in earth pig turned over : GRAPHITE

5-down – Girl in limbo lashing out irresponsibly : MISSPENDING

6-down – Sledge in slide, going over over over! : SKIDOO

7-down – Grandma dumped in one city without any thought : INANELY

8-down – Fine fellow with items to sell on the harbour : GOODSPORT

12-down – Nice walk I’d arranged on unknown Roman road : ICKNIELDWAY

13-down – Company chap accepting first indications from the accountants – normal ratio : COTANGENT

15-down – Coach wants bit of commitment, not bit of moaning, in match : CARRIAGE

17-down – Fellow with gold round fringes of the cloak : MANTEAU

19-down – One makes atmosphere, charged with excitement, noisier! : IONISER

20-down – Cell’s nucleus lacking in particle : NEURON

22-down – Lump hard to get out of fabric : CLOT

1-across – Dazed, having swallowed cigar butt and likely to croak? : FROGGY

4-across – Woolworth initially invested in mouldy ragout, given struggling competition : TUGOFWAR

9-across – Part of holiday : LEAVE

10-across – Relapse, left in cheeky situation : BACKSLIDE

11-across – Beautiful girl carying a gun is nothing to worry about : BAGATELLE

12-across – Bum somewhat plump on celebrity : PONCE

13-across – Trees – a restful sort of early offer : FIRSTREFUSAL

17-across – Creature from ancient China : HOMINGPIGEON

20-across – Dump the wife, if I were you : DITCH

21-across – Boat song of which dog heard part : BARCAROLE

23-across – Mixed dhal, a nice spicy dish : ENCHILADA

24-across – Don leaves oath by which those who live also die : SWORD

25-across – Sea barrier commanded to restrict canal barrier : BLOCKADE

26-across – Reportedly, this works soil no longer fertile : SPAYED

1-down – Picture specialist student doctor attending university after one admitted to a succession of poor grades : FILMBUFF

2-down – Golden year pursuing passion fruit here : ORANGERY

3-down – Commoner alleging bureaucrat¿s confused : GREAT

5-down – See 3 : UNCLEBULGARIA

6-down – May I have your attention admits false hope with gas pipes : OESOPHAGI

7-down – Cry when Mandela’s spoken : WHINNY

8-down – Smoking jacket? : REEFER

10-down – Notices location where directors have been shot? : BULLETINBOARD

14-down – Overly stupid parking installed leaves one manoeuvring into narrow space : TOOTHPICK

15-down – Punishing course of study at poly gone to be reshaped : PENOLOGY

16-down – Fiance punched in the stomach having lost head grabbing 3 and 7 : INTENDED

18-down – Sailor rounds port having jettisoned love happily, say : ADVERB

19-down – Minor wounds turned over, applying firm plaster : STUCCO

22-down – Storyteller’s revolutionary main work : AESOP