Solving time, 18 mins
* = anagram
ACROSS
1 Actor Kevin SPACEY – in a dreamy state (adj) – N American usage
5 SECOND Double definition with split at Extra/time
8 HER(m)ITAGE Tricky with all checked letters being vowels. Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg
9 PAVE Hidden
11 OLDEN Ditto
12 MATE LOT
15 SENTIMENTALISED (Ten men idealists)*
17 COME TO THE THRONE (theocrat – to men he)*
20 SPAR ROW
22 C REST
24 TA CO Another with checked vowels but the wordplay was very straightforward, I thought.
25 TRIM A RAN Thought at first this was an anagram clue, so good misdirection.
26 SK(y) ETCH
DOWN
2 PSEUDONYM (Does my pun)* Another setter has the pseudonym Dumpynose which is another anagram of it.
3 CHI ANT I
4 YEA R After a big calculation with reams of paper last week, here’s another one, maybe Quixote is a figures person. I worked it out this time 365X24X60X60 = 31,536,000
5 STEPMOTHER (Hot tempers)*
6 C (A PIT) OL Officer = Colonel = Col. Main building of US Congress in Washington
7 NO(V)EL very short = v Definition: book
10 C OS SACKS C = 100 in Roman numerals OS = outsize
13 TED HEATH (had teeth)*
14/27 DEATHWATCH BEETLE (that chewed table)* E (last letter of insecticide)
16 ST (ONE W) ALL
18 TURN OUT (runt)*
19 H (ECT) ARE
21 A LACK As before indicating it’s archaic
23 LIMB(o)