1-across – Soap unit : CAKE

3-across – Mediaeval musician : MINSTREL

9-across – Bad way for a ship to be run : AGROUND

10-across – Abandonment of a political stance : UTURN

11-across – Lesson – taste – category : CLASS

12-across – <span>e.g. </span><i>Ever Decreasing Circles</i> : SITCOM

14-across – It’s not for everyone : ACQUIREDTASTE

17-across – Bovine brats : CALVES

19-across – Andrew of 12ac or Connie of spydom : SACHS

22-across – Long-necked,sharp-beaked wader : HERON

23-across – Hairstyle for Amy Winehouse : BEEHIVE

24-across – Thick sweet viscous ingredient : MOLASSES

25-across – His ‘n’ ___ : HERS

1-down – Dark artist’s material : CHARCOAL

2-down – S. ___,2018 Olympic host : KOREA

4-down – Absolutely necessary : INDISPENSABLE

5-down – Move : SHUNT

6-down – Hoarsely loud : RAUCOUS

7-down – Eye part : LENS

8-down – <span>Archetypal </span><i>Guardian</i><span> reader’s breakfast</span> : MUESLI

13-down – Make another rating of : REASSESS

15-down – Square-headed arrow – it might be 6d : QUARREL

16-down – Mortarboard dangler : TASSEL

18-down – Planet 108m km from the Sun : VENUS

20-down – Onion kin : CHIVE

21-down – Close friend that’s chopped fish? : CHUM

1-across – Process purging effects of pent-up emotion or repressed thoughts : CATHARSIS

8-across – e.g. Edinburgh’s Tian Tian,formerly : PANDA

9-across – Idle types – footwear : LOAFERS

10-across – Symmetrical securer : REEFKNOT

11-across – You,once : THEE

13-across – Zack Polanski’s party : GREENS

14-across – Block-based digital diversion : TETRIS

16-across – Right-hand man or woman : AIDE

17-across – Fortified place with troops : GARRISON

19-across – ‘Goodbye’ gathering : SENDOFF

20-across – Westernmost Balearic : IBIZA

21-across – Deprived of slumber : SLEEPLESS

1-down – Losing one’s temper – ‘___ toast,Gromit!’ : CRACKING

2-down – Rendered fat for soap : TALLOW

3-down – Wordplay abbrev. seen in crosswords : ANAG

4-down – Minced meat and mash : SHEPHERDSPIE

5-down – You might acquire these after a wedding : SISTERSINLAW

6-down – Help for seeing Tosca : OPERAGLASSES

7-down – Autonomy : INDEPENDENCE

12-down – Narrowly avoided prang : NEARMISS

15-down – School summer fair staple : RAFFLE

18-down – ___ de théâtre or ___ d’état : COUP

1-across – Lines to learn,or something to take to the pharmacy : SCRIPT

4-across – Pugilists – pants : BOXERS

8-across – Hay blocks : BALES

9-across – Howl emotionally : ULULATE

10-across – One of the World Cup runners-up,2023 : LIONESS

11-across – Salts or Derby? : EPSOM

12-across – One at the top of the A-list : SUPERSTAR

17-across – Mirror,body or splitting : IMAGE

19-across – <span>Hapless </span><i>Hamlet</i><span> noblewoman</span> : OPHELIA

21-across – Derring-do : HEROICS

22-across – Pool,e.g. : SPORT

23-across – Fusible alloy for uniting metals : SOLDER

24-across – Workplace go-to senior colleague : MENTOR

1-down – Nuanced : SUBTLE

2-down – Deodorants with spheres : ROLLONS

3-down – Sheriff’s collection of helpers in a Western : POSSE

5-down – Let up on : OPULENT

6-down – Some are oral : EXAMS

7-down – Like some scenes and all working saunas : STEAMY

9-down – Light-hearted : UNSERIOUS

13-down – Childishly silly : PUERILE

14-down – Disallow : RULEOUT

15-down – Rags’ counterpart : RICHES

16-down – Persiflage or pleasantries : BANTER

18-down – Easter’s month,sometimes : APRIL

20-down – It makes waste,they tell us : HASTE

5-across – <span>The </span><i>Guardian</i><span>’s less reputable shelfmates</span> : GUTTERPRESS

7-across – e.g. guilder : COIN

8-across – One who’s barely running? : STREAKER

9-across – Planet 57.9m km from the Sun,on average : MERCURY

11-across – Porcine sister to Evie and George : PEPPA

13-across – Headgear for a para or a beatnik : BERET

14-across – <span>___ </span><i>Hill</i><span> : NOTTING

16-across – Italian form of ‘Joseph’ : GIUSEPPE

17-across – One of many north of the Forth and Clyde in Roman times : PICT

18-across – Fajita vegetable : GREENPEPPER

1-down – Alma mater for David Cameron and James Bond : ETON

2-down – Apt rhyme for ‘pleasure’ : LEISURE

3-down – Hybrid cutlery gismo : SPORK

4-down – Readiness for – or warning of – invasion or disaster : REDALERT

5-down – Greeting after the afternoon : GOODEVENING

6-down – Where to slumber on the move : SLEEPINGCAR

10-down – It includes a couple of knights : CHESSSET

12-down – ‘Come on,this is taking ___’ : FOREVER

15-down – Tired – paid out : SPENT

17-down – Vatican bigwig : POPE

5-across – The Bible has a good one : SAMARITAN

8-across – European – stick : POLE

9-across – Baker’s dozen : THIRTEEN

10-across – Alcove – rest time : RECESS

11-across – It has a solstice : SUMMER

13-across – Vehicle for a Time Lord : TARDIS

15-across – Ear-piercing yell : SHRIEK

16-across – E.g. second cousin once removed : RELATIVE

18-across – Goat in the mountains : IBEX

19-across – Not well educated : UNLEARNED

1-down – Be careful! – Pay attention! : TAKEHEED

2-down – Spiny succulent : CACTUS

3-down – Peaceful protests : SITINS

4-down – Angler’s wiggling worm,perhaps : BAIT

6-down – Like banana bread you make yourself : HOMEBAKED

7-down – Press it when you’ve typed a typo : DELETEKEY

12-down – Friend to Whitehouse and to Reeves : MORTIMER

14-down – Fancy evening event : SOIREE

15-down – ___ Nevada : SIERRA

17-down – Teenager’s woe : ACNE