1-across – Do they cooperate with the dance band? : BALLPLAYERS

9-across – This cat’s a pest : SCOURGE

10-across – Dye used for fans : SAFFRON

11-across – An African playing the piano touring Italy : ETHIOPIAN

12-across – A Christian university nearby : UNIAT

13-across – Part of a great deal : SOME

14-across – A High Churchman : ARCHBISHOP

16-across – The drawing power of foreign orchestras : CARTHORSES

19-across – Service return a long way off : AFAR

21-across – Writer taking Ecstasy in a sweetener : AESOP

22-across – They let light into the Brownies : APERTURES

24-across – He and Chris can make love : CHERISH

25-across – Churchill, perhaps, with one empty glass : TANKARD

26-across – Signalled from the boundary? : TELEGRAPHED

1-down – Bad actor under fire on street where 1 across perform in York : BOOTHAMCRESCENT

2-down – Popular government’s instruction to go slow : LARGO

3-down – Empire-building queen and cabinet maker : PREMIER

4-down – Sailor’s thin rum drink : ABSINTH

5-down – Offensive issues arising from post mortems : EFFLUVIA

6-down – Direct route for the hospital visitor in a hurry : STRAIGHTFORWARD

7-down – Trees like feathers : ASPENS

8-down – How soldiers march on foot? : INSTEP

15-down – She sells Flora at the checkout, perhaps : SHOPGIRL

16-down – A fat one would be very little! : CHANCE

17-down – Bully driving animal under carriageway : ROADHOG

18-down – Complex woman : ELECTRA

20-down – Live with peculiar desire : RESIDE

23-down – The first coming home at St Andrew’s : TENTH

1-across – He crusaded with 1 down, 5, 9, 12, 17, 18, 20, 22 and 24 : RICHARD

5-across – Geographer saying: Cut and can it : HAKLUYT

9-across – Atheistic zoologist was kind to solvers : DAWKINS

10-across – Aspen shaking head of bog myrtle : TREMBLY

11-across – ‘pon my soul! ‘e left out poor Tom Jones, for example : EPONYMOUS

12-across – Modern writing includes a literary anthropomorphist : ADAMS

13-across – Generator’s output in revs per minute : SPERM

15-across – Splitting heads with the French eminence : NOBLENESS

17-across – A-bomb survivor: his cry of surprise rings round Azerbaijan’s capital : HIBAKUSHA

19-across – Cult figure when observed during the day : MASON

22-across – Actor with an E concession : GRANT

23-across – Stop filming with a single light out : CUTANDRUN

25-across – Gives a leg up when society sits around : ASSISTS

26-across – Team turns to replace United in future match : FIXTURE

27-across – Lawrence Reagan’s occupation : TENANCY

28-across – Creating Disneyland ?- and not in old Lincolnshire : LINDSEY

1-down – Expressions of agreement about Dutch collaborator in South Pacific : RODGERS

2-down – Buckaroo’s Brahmin bonnet : COWPOKE

3-down – March maid accepts it in friendship : AMITY

4-down – Demonises characters in state capital : DESMOINES

5-down – Can’t stand English bowlers around? : HATES

6-down – Make Peter sadly attend all the lectures : KEEPATERM

7-down – Argue wildly about doctor with spleen that is taken : UMBRAGE

8-down – Ancient staff rights in your old country : THYRSUS

14-down – Might his KO stymie new contenders? : MIKETYSON

16-down – Flea bit you twice, say? Bad as Foster’s dreamer! : BEAUTIFUL

17-down – Skill of the Ettrick Shepherd? His literacy had its uses : HOGGART

18-down – Creator of Virgin and Child : BRANSON

20-down – Was his Danube as blue as his Levis? : STRAUSS

21-down – But Ophelia didn’t get here in order to obey Hamlet : NUNNERY

23-down – Easy metal target : CUSHY

24-down – Name the wheel-bound king: not I, Mr President : NIXON

1-across – Novelist and daughter joining the riff-raff : DRABBLE

5-across – Become enthusiastic, fighting politician outside university : WARMUP

9-across – Blast school when there’s a girlfriend around! : DETONATE

10-across – Punch appears in seaside location next to church : PIERCE

12-across – Philosopher on toilet naps, drifting off : NEOPLATONIST

15-across – Remedying a deficiency that will make Underground announcement superfluous? : CLOSINGTHE

17-across – See 15 : GAP

19-across – A-Levels? I’d swot! – possibly that’s traditional wisdom : OLD

20-across – See 19 : WIVESTALES

22-across – Might they offer a drug to the man with an oral problem? : APOTHECARIES

26-across – Poems that may come from silly bard leaving pub : IDYLLS

27-across – Presumably Mrs Marcos found this huge bird : SHOEBILL

28-across – Assault on crossword grid carried out with military precision? : SQUARE

29-across – See 28 : BASHING

1-down – Pop art’s origin seen in this? : DADA

2-down – A perfect society only half in evidence on account of the car : AUTO

3-down – Left-winger with energy and power achieves prominence in Scotland : BENNEVIS

4-down – Middle of Fleet Street has work in bar : ESTOP

6-down – Former dictator presented with gold key : AMINOR

7-down – Sort of boom coming from man with wind : MARTINGALE

8-down – A place that offers good mountain views in bad conditions? : PRETTYPASS

11-down – Serving of veg that is providing iron : MASHIE

13-down – It might be tricky for basic actor : ACROBATICS

14-down – Well done, like healthy food : GOODFORYOU

16-down – Heartless girl – an irritation, a difficulty : GLITCH

18-down – Town ultimately famous for having the glass : STHELENS

21-down – Home for Ahab, one lamenting audibly : WHALER

23-down – Short programme for the handicapped? : REHAB

24-down – Description of a decree to reverse one evil : NISI

25-down – Trade in leather? The game’s up! : FLOG