1-across – Tree resins in health facilities sent back : SAPS

3-across – Common insects: audience hurries away : HOUSEFLIES

9-across – What’s in jug? Lichee fruit : UGLI

10-across – Messed around with ease, I might be on a roll : SESAMESEED

11-across – Bureaucrat to avoid waterfowl : MANDARINDUCK

15-across – Pine marten perhaps leading in distance raced : FURLONG

16-across – Ignoring some affront, he got busy : ONTHEGO

17-across – Everyman initially nags deputies: they fill the cells : INMATES

19-across – Corroborate order for Paddington to go? : BEAROUT

20-across – Writhing, hurt, rocks or reels at first, filled with dread : HORRORSTRUCK

23-across – According to Spooner, not one youngster or the other is to wed : TIETHEKNOT

24-across – In den, with stomach churning, peddler of falsehoods : LIAR

25-across – Records rugby highlights in woven illustrations : TAPESTRIES

26-across – Empire invaded by Spanish finding home by Central America : INCA

1-down – Miss embraced by oiled nudist hunk : STUDMUFFIN

2-down – Race car, for example – or kayak! : PALINDROME

4-down – Job available in Gap : OPENING

5-down – Creep showing how to describe what’s average in two words? : SOANDSO

6-down – Egg on this: santé! : FRENCHTOAST

7-down – Notion, almost perfect : IDEA

8-down – Scandalous author – disturbing eroticist, principally? : SADE

12-down – Characters seen in Britain’s Got Talent and The Winter’s Tale? : APOSTROPHES

13-down – Rising gyration : REVOLUTION

14-down – Alternative adopted by disruptive shakeout somewhere on the Yellow Sea : SOUTHKOREA

18-down – Attacking footballer, one with brilliant match? : STRIKER

19-down – Read aloud Howl, poem: will it scan? : BARCODE

21-down – Piece of info, ASAP! : STAT

22-down – Look furtively – in both directions? : PEEP

7-across – Wild misery drinking drop of Drambuie: it’s only partly sweet : SEMIDRY

8-across – Appetizing cabbage stuffed with quark on a regular basis : SAVOURY

10-across – Cultivated pasturage but no time for mangetout : SUGARPEA

11-across – Urge nephew to get round, grand festive booze : EGGNOG

12-across – In speech, would you let Everyman drink? : MAITAI

13-across – Adieu! Eve’s off: this calls for strong drink! : EAUDEVIE

14-across – Behind boozer, fatso that’s often steaming : SPONGEPUDDING

17-across – Greens, then fruitcake and fried pâtisserie item : DOUGHNUT

20-across – Somewhat sombre, a stockbroker’s bust : BREAST

22-across – One particular ticket-seller vocally eschewed home cooking : ATEOUT

23-across – One opening function, first I reveal curry : TANDOORI

24-across – Pupils nervously bottling beer : PILSNER

25-across – Judge with mounds of fat, heading off for desserts : JELLIES

1-down – Creepy-crawly, one in which you find the Spanish caviare : BELUGA

2-down – Coriander? Instead, linguistically American name that’s rife online, primarily! : CILANTRO

3-down – It’s useful for Yorkshire puddings left out in the rain, perhaps : DRIPPING

4-down – Golden Gate – first, some cake! : GATEAU

5-down – Meaty sandwich ingredient that might be Old Norse : TONGUE

6-down – Evidently hungry, doctor taking first slice of cake, fresh out of the oven : DROOLING

9-down – Too bad! Kept a vulgar jacketed item : BAKEDPOTATO

14-down – Flings cut short, stopped by questionable charmer : SMOOTHIE

15-down – An apéritif or 10? No, mate, on reflection : DUBONNET

16-down – Reserve cash for summer treat : ICELOLLY

18-down – German to wake up and complain : GROUSE

19-down – Woody spice – prized item – cask sent up : NUTMEG

21-down – Prepare round ball that’ll cleanse your palate : SORBET

1-across – Hold together, split apart : CLEAVE

5-across – Prudent having tamed mammal before start of December : SHREWD

8-across – Make huge amounts of faulty damp-courses : MASSPRODUCE

11-across – US novelist’s hideous neck bites : STEINBECK

12-across – Dream job as described by croupier? : IDEAL

13-across – Expresses disapproval, having a thing or two : OBJECTS

14-across – Egyptian kings heard in N Atlantic islands : FAEROES

15-across – Shunning middle speed – cam faulty – makes off at speed : DECAMPS

17-across – Stops when Democrat becomes Republican and fights : RESISTS

20-across – Consume in haste – the result? : WASTE

21-across – Flight in which you might be still moving? : ESCALATOR

22-across – Poem Iris edited before the reader, Scout’s Honour : IPROMISEYOU

23-across – Heathen siege surrounds classical city : ATHENS

24-across – Eased a temper? Only somewhat calm : SEDATE

2-down – Move with difficulty to raise either end of rear in this altered tartan item : LUMBERJACKSHIRT

3-down – As spelled out in full, one of Agatha’s poisons : ARSENIC

4-down – States’ fast trains : EXPRESSES

5-down – Principally, such provision only requires knife! : SPORK

6-down – Banal comedian’s material : ROUTINE

7-down – Surgery query: ‘How red is he?’ … utter jerks : WHEREDOESITHURT

9-down – Regularly avoided collision reversing in capital city : OSLO

10-down – Liverpool’s Mo snubbed: flipping shame : ALAS

14-down – Predicts California surrounded by trees : FORECASTS

15-down – Morning: judo master drinks whiskey : DAWN

16-down – Tennis champ, twitching newcomer taking week off : MCENROE

18-down – Son competed, spread out : SPLAYED

19-down – Agricultural servant to get on board, you say? : SERF

21-down – Everyman’s ultimately prizeless after Everyman’s up for awards : EMMYS

1-across – Primarily squalid purveyor, illicit vendor? : SPIV

4-across – Tiny amount of drink – damn! : DASH

8-across – Mustard on a roll, for a song : YELLOWSUBMARINE

11-across – A bounder, the writer describing European universities etc : ACADEME

12-across – Mo in no need of barista : INSTANT

13-across – Improved health for hubby? : OTHERHALF

14-across – Counterpart of red – and of black? : WHITE

15-across – Scrap fairy tale with king at the end becoming … dead : SHRED

16-across – What boots may be in a different case? : BRANDNAME

19-across – How a list of Henry’s wives goes, excluding the final queen, OK? : UPTOPAR

21-across – Component of lathe is twitching? I’m sceptical : ATHEIST

22-across – Understood, in a phrase, how a lip-reader describes her work : ISEEWHATYOUMEAN

23-across – Location of unpleasantness on edge of eyelid? : STYE

24-across – Falling over, run into swarm : TEEM

2-down – I reopened bananas and showed the way : PIONEERED

3-down – Victor is constant, on time, showing guts : VISCERA

4-down – Gather intel from – scare the pants off? : DEBRIEF

5-down – Catches son, acts the scold : SNAGS

6-down – Monday rattled one that’s full of beans : DYNAMO

7-down – Place – place to drive from – place to park it? : SETTEE

9-down – Dubious treat, the eel’s dressed ‘skin’ : LEATHERETTE

10-down – Everyman’s given a drink at 4; from the outset, Everyman’s making things up : IMAGINATIVE

14-down – One who wrote amusing novels such as Emma, you say? : WODEHOUSE

15-down – Detective Inspector puts up with absence of intelligence : STUPID

16-down – Heavy criticism, lawyers blow a fuse : BARRAGE

17-down – Number-cruncher: fastidious, proverbially patient type accepting unknown number : ANALYST

18-down – Cockney’s cooking – then … ? : EATING

20-down – … piece of snipe with another bird : PEWIT

1-across – Primarily squalid purveyor, illicit vendor? : SPIV

4-across – Tiny amount of drink – damn! : DASH

8-across – Mustard on a roll, for a song : YELLOWSUBMARINE

11-across – A bounder, the writer describing European universities etc : ACADEME

12-across – Mo in no need of barista : INSTANT

13-across – Improved health for hubby? : OTHERHALF

14-across – Counterpart of red – and of black? : WHITE

15-across – Scrap fairy tale with king at the end becoming … dead : SHRED

16-across – What boots may be in a different case? : BRANDNAME

19-across – How a list of Henry’s wives goes, excluding the final queen, OK? : UPTOPAR

21-across – Component of lathe is twitching? I’m sceptical : ATHEIST

22-across – Understood, in a phrase, how a lip-reader describes her work : ISEEWHATYOUMEAN

23-across – Location of unpleasantness on edge of eyelid? : STYE

24-across – Falling over, run into swarm : TEEM

2-down – I reopened bananas and showed the way : PIONEERED

3-down – Victor is constant, on time, showing guts : VISCERA

4-down – Gather intel from – scare the pants off? : DEBRIEF

5-down – Catches son, acts the scold : SNAGS

6-down – Monday rattled one that’s full of beans : DYNAMO

7-down – Place – place to drive from – place to park it? : SETTEE

9-down – Dubious treat, the eel’s dressed ‘skin’ : LEATHERETTE

10-down – Everyman’s given a drink at 4; from the outset, Everyman’s making things up : IMAGINATIVE

14-down – One who wrote amusing novels such as Emma, you say? : WODEHOUSE

15-down – Detective Inspector puts up with absence of intelligence : STUPID

16-down – Heavy criticism, lawyers blow a fuse : BARRAGE

17-down – Number-cruncher: fastidious, proverbially patient type accepting unknown number : ANALYST

18-down – Cockney’s cooking – then … ? : EATING

20-down – … piece of snipe with another bird : PEWIT