1-across – Purchase paper, say, for ancient craft : BIREME

4-across – Racing authorities set off to hospital : STEWARDS

9-across – See 20 : FIELD

10-across – I am the cat among dairy produce, going to overlap? : IMBRICATE

11-across – Love girl madly, taking space traveller to the opera : RIGOLETTO

12-across – Student in the army made music : HOLST

13-across – Asylum seeker possibly omitting sari : MIGRATIONIST

17-across – Who else that’s prepared to take centre stage? : STEALTHESHOW

20-across – Not the building site for Labour’s Pauline and Frank : GREEN

21-across – It’s a volte-face to consider a boxing match entertainment : ABOUTTURN

23-across – Figure that sounds like a ruin and a mess : RECTANGLE

24-across – It’s possible I shall leave, taking a year off, before the end of the grub : IMAGO

25-across – Belt for senior officer? Possibly true : CINCTURE

26-across – He should be used to a bark : SEADOG

1-down – See 10 down : BEFOREME

2-down – Give back the job of pollarding the fruit tree? : REENGAGE

3-down – Gong and what it signifies – eating a bite of dinner : M1D1L

5-down – ? : TOBEORNOTTOBE

6-down – See 10 down : WHICHISEE

7-down – Sapper’s friend? Are you sure? : REALLY

8-down – Don’t talk about temperature – take cover : SHEATH

10-down – † : ISTHISADAGGER

14-down – Company employed at 10 by non-English poet : ATTENDANT

15-down – M’s address to George : THOUSAND

16-down – Gloria, famous last words of? : SWANSONG

18-down – Where to cook some rice with mushroom? : AGARIC

19-down – Belong to the Tory party? Its 9 did : BEACON

22-down – Moment of matrices : TRICE

1-across – Old man gets hold of an excellent remedy : PANACEA

5-across – Badgers – burrowers needing way in : MOLESTS

9-across – Italian painter, not one to represent primordial god : TITAN

10-across – Clash seen to be dealt with by steward : SENESCHAL

11-across – Rallies with crowds besieging the Royal Institution : GATHERINGS

12-across – Port gets nothing when there’s embargo on : OBAN

14-across – Boost provided by child who’s no trouble to look after? : SUPERCHARGE

18-across – Reminding one lately on the scene about 60s’ skirts? : REMINISCENT

21-across – Lively son to be nosy : SPRY

22-across – Six of the best? It could be nine thumps! : PUNISHMENT

25-across – Criticise girl’s dad and show great anger : DISPARAGE

26-across – Willing to make money : READY

27-across – To understand what good ale is … is English! : REALISE

28-across – Preacher? High point comes in first half of sermon : SPEAKER

1-down – Cover raised over mature soup : POTAGE

2-down – Write in special symbols number on gallery : NOTATE

3-down – Familiar arts institution housed within religious school : CONVERSANT

4-down – Very musical fool – very good : ASSAI

5-down – You may find what could have been game in ‘ere : MENAGERIE

6-down – Model’s bottom : LAST

7-down – Trout person may be out of place in butcher’s : SCHUBERT

8-down – Something causing wound? Material initially sent up includes absorbent fabric : SPLINTER

13-down – How the rise is transformed with this beastly carving! : WHITEHORSE

15-down – Claim in mail reaching university after the deadline : POSTULATE

16-down – Religious fighter is more natural outside religious army : CRUSADER

17-down – Boar ma is cooking – great grub! : AMBROSIA

19-down – Make a new evaluation of note : REMARK

20-down – Constant nag, guest who won’t go? : STAYER

23-down – Some cosmetics shown up in news articles : ITEMS

24-down – Duty imposed on one vehicle : TAXI

1-across – Copper backing for chimney’s unserviceable – cloudy mass results : CUMULUS

5-across – Support the record reserves : BACKLOG

9-across – Worry as part of Tweed is turbulent : DISTURB

10-across – One’s the same as another : SYNONYM

11-across – Golf property round bush, somehow, in tip? : CLUBHOUSE

12-across – The French in their way backing Swiss mathematician : EULER

13-across – The city’s to the fore, we hear : LEEDS

15-across – Plant class in US universities : IVYLEAGUE

17-across – English actor run possibly as a storyteller : RACONTEUR

19-across – Spot produced by insect mostly : LOCUS

22-across – Ship’s funds going west : SLOOP

23-across – Blow the directors! I have the controls : DASHBOARD

25-across – Colourless flat : INSIPID

26-across – Play with tin scraps in an unsuitable way : INAPTLY

27-across – Old tree: 50 years? : ELDERLY

28-across – Diner, perhaps, placed between king and duke’s relatives : KINDRED

1-down – Fish left around here in France: more for Will? : CODICIL

2-down – Mixed muesli about right for disorder : MISRULE

3-down – Some useful outhouses on the Irish Sea : LOUTH

4-down – Vessel with reduced depth in petrol not to be reported? : SSBJUDICE

5-down – Beat time in HQ : BASTE

6-down – What’s gone wriggling into fish basket? : CONGEREEL

7-down – One in deep yen for stage : LONGLEG

8-down – One could be stuck up one : GUMTREE

14-down – Bird with grit, a music-maker : SANDPIPER

16-down – 1Standard credit when supporting quads : YARDSTICK

17-down – Tries PE after injury suspension : RESPITE

18-down – Wires could be passed transversely : CROSSED

20-down – Firm place in church for thick black liquid : COALTAR

21-down – Deed, say, upsetting, as sorrowful one could be : SADEYED

23-down – The tot’s pop? : DADDY

24-down – Note uprising ropes in crude strength : BRAWN