The usual, excellent, well-crafted, puzzle from Dac with good variety of treatments. Solving time, fast for me, 17 mins.
* = anagram < = reversed
ACROSS
1 SLIGHT Double definition
5 S (EAR) CH liked ear = something essential for listening in the context of the surface
8 SEND IN THE CLOWNS
10 REIN STATE
11 STILL Double definition Excellent surface with the divide at moving/picture
12 TOGGED (d e.g. got)<
13 MONS IE UR Mons (WW1 battle) Ur from Bible, well-known to solvers
16 HA (John) MILTON
18 DR OP IN Another brilliant clue
21 INLET Hidden
23 TAXIMETER (extra time)*
24 OPENING CEREMONY No 1 means first (in Greece m on pony)*
25 BEADLE How an American might say Beatle, I guess
26 TES TER(m) set< Very good, as containment is misleadingly suggested.
DOWN
2 LANCING
3 GAIT S KELL(y) Labour leader to 1963 Ruth Kelly, Cabinet member, I guess
4 TE TRAD
5 SKELETON (leeks not)*
6 ARLES hidden
7 COW (HID) E (s)
8 STRETCH L(I’M)O Lo = look one of those two-letter staples it’s worth getting to know.
9 SOLAR ENERGY (green)* in (royals)*
14 S TRUMPETS Good fun
15 MONTAG (U) E One the families from Romeo and Juliet
17 MO LIE RE French dramatist from the 1600s
19 PO (THO) LE (hot)*
20 EX TENT ‘of’ is a wordplay to definition link
22 THIRD if Alan Bennett = A Bennett Thora Hird = T Hird.
When I blog I usually feel that I’ve been a bit inadequate if few people respond to it. It’s 12.43 and nobody has so far posted. However, in this case I’m sure it’s simply because this was such a perfect well-crafted crossword that there were no loose ends.
Exactly.