First-rate
Across
1 Watched, including Question Time, and following item SEQUENT
QU (question) in SEEN (watched) T (time)
7 Different article secured by soldiers OTHER
THE (article) in OR (other ranks – soldiers)
11 The cups you’d overturned, missing nothing, drinking deeply UPSEY DUTCH
(THE CUPS YOUD)* minus O (nothing)
12 Indicate some time SPELL dd
13 Machine removing volume to clear screen DE-ICE DEVICE (machine) minus V
14/1D That rebel’s kidnapping English nurse THEATRE SISTER
E (English) in THAT RESISTER (rebel)
16 Russian composer getting over 1812 site BORODINO where Napoleon defeated the Russians BORODIN Alexander (1933) O (over)
18 Soldier’s lover after shortened separation RIFLEMAN
RIF[t] (separation) LEMAN (lover)
22 Swindles involving Cockney affairs CARRY-ONS
‘ARRY (Cockney) in CONS (swindles
24 Who’s swimming in sea at Nice, ending in shark net MESHWORK
(WHOS)* in MER (sea in French) [shar]K
29/23D Film industry determined to fill battles with entertainment, we hear
WARDOUR STREET
DOUR (set) in WAR (battles) TREET sounds like TREAT (entertainment)
30 Backed some school-age-limit in the courts? LEGAL
hidden backwards in [schoo]L AGE L[imit]
31 Museum excluding very old French dance LOURE
LOUVRE (museum) minus V (very)
32 Cop show catchphrase still showing bitterness EVENING ALL
EVEN (still) IN GALL (showing bitterness)
33 Controls and rules, dismissing government REINS
REIGNS (rules) minus G (government)
34 Astrophysicist forbidden for sure to withdraw SEYFERT
TREF (forbidden food) YES (for sure)<
Down
2 What about elevated exercise engaging one to write in elevated style? EUPHUISE UP (elevated) in EH (what) I (one) in USE (exercise)
3 Swimmer, eccentric, note’ going for river QUEEN-FISH
QUEERFISH (eccentric) R (river) swapped with N (note)
4 University operation in store UP-LAY U (university) PLAY (operation)
5 A Scotsman about to regret picking up nerve growth NEUROMA
RUE (regret) in A MON (Scots man)< (picking up)
6 Doorkeeper tense, with bank being held up TYLER T (tense) RELY< (bank)
7 Dispute excess drugs supplied by surgeon ODDS
OD (over dose) DS (surgeon)
8 Unsteady, drunk, forgetting name for 24 hours TUESDAY
(UNSTEADY)* minus N (name)
9 Look around twice in middle of week ECCE CC (around x 2) in [w]EE[k]
10 Stringed instrument turning up on right-hand speaker RHETOR
RH (right hand) ROTE< (stringed instrument up)
15 I’ll joke uneasily about university’s measure of work KILOJOULE
U (university) in (ILL JOKE)*
17 No US state upset our rector, a rebellious Minister NONJUROR
NO NJ (New Jersey) (OUR)* R (rector)
19 German soprano’s unproductive number enthralling Queen LEHMANN
HM (Queen) in LEAN (unproductive) N (number)
20 Dashed into dispute, banning United’s score ARRANGE
RAN (dashed) in ARGUE (dispute) minus U (United)
21 One not sprinting, heading off one not sprinting AMBLER [r]AMBLER
25 One who sprinted round cities OWENS Jesse O (round) WENS (cities)
26 Despised leader party adopted by narrow-minded man ADOLF
DO (party) in ALF (Till Death Do Us Part)
27 Bar closing early – willingly? LEVE LEVE[r] (bar)
28 Rodents included in hunting list GLIS hidden in [huntin]G LIS[t]
( )* = anagram [ ] = omit dd = double definition < = reverse
Was it just me, or was this particularly easy this week? I fair sailed through it Sunday evening hardly breaking into a sweat, although I needed to search the dictionary for one. (I think it was 2dn, but I’m on holiday at the moment and don’t have the puzzle to hand.)
Incidentally, in your blog of 16ac, Borodin was born in 1833, not 1933.