4-across – Starts fiddling with switch on judge’s black box : FLIGHT

6-across – : RECORDER

9-across – Reprimand after dropping a cake in the rubbish : ROCKET

10-across – Sort to get married and miss embracing dairy worker : MILKMAID

11-across – Fat father ruined tin of theatrical make-up : GREASEPAINT

15-across – There’s no way distilled spirit can be a medicine! : NOSTRUM

17-across – Fragrant ring, the same before turning sour : ODOROUS

18-across – Cafe, as in dull colour, soon takes very little money : GREASYSPOON

22-across – Laugh at clear clue I made a mess of : RIDICULE

23-across – An embellishment acceptable in an open court : ATRIUM

24-across – Time to finish making improvements … : AMENDING

25-across – … for nothing great is pointless : GRATIS

1-down – Man declines to come round for bed linen : SHEETS

2-down – Happy with Louis etc, if dancing : FELICITOUS

3-down – Removing coat, cook bird : COCKATOO

4-down – Inventing article to be inserted when searching : FORAGING

5-down – In patient about to be admitted, it’s up : INCREASE

7-down – Expensive letter opener? : DEAR

8-down – Travelled east after staff : RODE

12-down – Attractive French lady admitted striking : PUMMELLING

13-down – Pioneer carelessly lost coin : COLONIST

14-down – Big waves miss aunt when swimming : TSUNAMIS

16-down – Which makes a royal person late? : REGICIDE

19-down – When upset, go to God : SATURN

20-down – District standing a long time : AREA

21-down – Had zealot hidden a timber dresser? : ADZE

1-across – The adding of water etc in the matter of established political norms : RECONSTITUTION

9-across – There’s a boom when it reads 1, caused by hammer etc : MACHMETER

10-across – Uniform choice, as in 1900 or with the Falklands factor : KHAKI

11-across – Imperial cat? : OUNCE

12-across – Near Eastern front, money held by Southern general : LEVANTINE

13-across – Most of our air needs re-toning : NITROGEN

14-across – Bit of trouser for the book? : TURNUP

17-across – Parasite having a rest at the table : JIGGER

19-across – See 10 : ELECTION

22-across – Predicament after strike dispels darkness : LAMPLIGHT

24-across – Legal bar to poet’s work : ESTOP

25-across – Run away, as insect from ungulate : ELOPE

26-across – Work hard to enter Magic Circle before eating raw flesh : OMOPHAGIC

27-across – Rates flop badly at 1 down’s county: it requires the adding of water : PLASTEROFPARIS

1-down – Lovers’ memory of dawn before a month in parliament : ROMEOANDJULIET

2-down – It’s giving milk that has people shy : COCONUT

3-down – Nobody keeps pigment for himself : NUMBERONE

4-down – Written off to journalist of stature : TOTALLED

5-down – In the earth rivers enable us to live well : THRIVE

6-down – Symbolic presence granted to Livingstone : TOKEN

7-down – Eggs changed into what could be standing : OVATION

8-down – Deserts etc produce woes with appendices burst : WIDEOPENSPACES

15-down – He’s turning in: take away keeper with relative status : UNCLESHIP

16-down – Trouble about gambling game – it isn’t over yet! : ALOTTODO

18-down – Soup I left, having trouble in the mouth : GUMBOIL

20-down – 3 is 3, say, in between : INTEGER

21-down – Take no notice of Italian men losing their head : IGNORE

23-down – City is 3, say : LEEDS

1-across – Essay about object that’s fashionable : TRENDY

4-across – Capital containing a hospital for outcasts : PARIAHS

9-across – Very clever fish ain’t at sea : BRILLIANT

10-across – Island’s turning black : SABLE

11-across – Follow headless queens around : ENSUE

12-across – Show disapproval by taking carriage as a sort of practical joke : BOOBYTRAP

13-across – So deep in thought one’s absorbed – nobody will play with one : SOLOIST

15-across – A drink with a head : NOGGIN

17-across – Appalled – but helping to make Branagh a star : AGHAST

19-across – Present course : CURRENT

22-across – Two chaps like some medieval legends : ARTHURIAN

24-across – Philanthropist retiring for the good of France : NOBEL

26-across – Letter from Greek graduate – it has four sides : RHOMB

27-across – King accompanied by aerial artist : KANDINSKY

28-across – Bird discovered by dramatist outside Los Angeles : ORTOLAN

29-across – Nothing on listed building? : LEANTO

1-down – Bill allows some medicine : TABLETS

2-down – England’s first team takes both ends outdoors : EXITS

3-down – Self-indulgent life of fool upset by musical : DOLCEVITA

4-down – Crushing remark that’s recorded : PUTDOWN

5-down – After religious instruction heaven appears unsafe : RISKY

6-down – Purple and gold mixture of beer and gin : AUBERGINE

7-down – Look round shelter, being ready for bed : SLEEPY

8-down – Religious teacher with time for timid person : RABBIT

14-down – Prescribed bedtime in lands abroad : LIGHTSOUT

16-down – Latin verbal adjective given rude translation : GERUNDIVE

18-down – Kitchen order: stir in flour, possibly : THICKEN

19-down – Clergymen preserve son, perhaps : CANONS

20-down – Cry in the field though little colleague is content : TALLYHO

21-down – Spanish-speaking area of city – except for a Portuguese-speaking city : BARRIO

23-down – Sort of blume? Sort of bloom? : UMBEL

25-down – Container containing a small container : BASIN

9-across – The final demand in dispute : ULTIMATUM

10-across – Run away to marry East European on the rebound : ELOPE

11-across – English queen, one Lear got confused with : ELEANOR

12-across – A recent reform put through again : REENACT

13-across – A small number sail out in vessels : VIALS

14-across – Polite inclination to support royalty : CIVILLIST

16-across – Seen as a regular fool, he continues on the same course : STEADYASSHEGOES

19-across – Sappers twice raised the stakes in bridge : REDOUBLED

21-across – Shine as a beginner in a new game : GLEAM

22-across – Mother takes a long time to get compensation : DAMAGES

23-across – Partners who dance up in close formation : COUPLES

24-across – Translation of prose is a problem : POSER

25-across – Very cold spot discovered by Pooh : NORTHPOLE

1-down – Extra face-saving feature for a manager : SUPERVISOR

2-down – See great changes in economy travel : STEERAGE

3-down – Changes which should be made by wrongdoers : AMENDS

4-down – Wake up in prison : STIR

5-down – Is outwardly better when spontaneous : IMPROVISED

6-down – The militant’s first summons : REVEILLE

7-down – I’m also involved with East African : SOMALI

8-down – Paper match : TEST

14-down – Early form of rock music? : CRADLESONG

15-down – Teacher after job for a demanding employer : TASKMASTER

17-down – Barnaby put in uninteresting and tedious work : DRUDGERY

18-down – Fail to notice what 1 down will do : OVERLOOK

20-down – Check demand for material : DAMASK

21-down – It’s awkward being left in France : GAUCHE

22-down – Drug quietly injected into a rabbit : DOPE

23-down – Dog left to play with stones on the ice : CURL

9-across – Vagrant I entertain out East? : ITINERANT

10-across – Part of flag – one among many : HOIST

11-across – Records of air-conditioning in sideshow : DIARIES

12-across – Time to dress in worthless stuff? : GARBAGE

13-across – Note always turning into another note : BREVE

14-across – Fine imposed on fictitious tale is indescribable : INEFFABLE

16-across – To one Pope, it spelt danger : ALITTLELEARNING

19-across – Coped with some awful rot : DECOMPOSE

21-across – Light soldier on animal’s back : KLEIG

22-across – Unusual poem about air in shops : EMPORIA

23-across – Mixture the French found in turning over molten rock : AMALGAM

24-across – Locations where things worth seeing are reported : SITES

25-across – Bookkeeper’s sign for rainstorm : LIBRARIAN

1-down – Workman holding broken bridle for Pope Gregory : HILDEBRAND

2-down – Middle East country filling pies cooked by Italian painter : PIRANESI

3-down – Emblem of French depravity : DEVICE

4-down – Fishes’ fingerprints? : DABS

5-down – Poem composed in even stages, perhaps : STAGNESEVE

6-down – Acolyte badly hurt by firework : THURIFER

7-down – Article taken from Barbican turns out to be antacid : BICARB

8-down – Ugly finish in untidy set is an eyesore : STYE

14-down – Certain line a boxer takes? : INEXORABLE

15-down – Promise of employment : ENGAGEMENT

17-down – Shrub found at river ski resort : TAMARISK

18-down – Lupine character with fixed semi-grin : ISENGRIM

20-down – Writer’s cloak : CAPOTE

21-down – Bears getting final put-down, unfortunately : KOALAS

22-down – Some other Semitic language : ERSE

23-down – Sailor wanted to be an ecclesiastic : ABBE