I didn’t have too many problems solving and parsing this one, with the exception of 28ac.
The answer was obvious once the checked letters were in place, and the wordplay was clear, but I needed Wikipedia’s help to fill in a gap in my knowledge as I was previously unaware of the film.
Across
1 Picture containing trendy raw material, a series showing fine detail (14)
PHOTOREALISTIC – PIC (picture) around (containing) HOT (trendy) ORE (raw material) A LIST (a series)
10 I’ll present a couple of clips from Steve McQueen (5)
EMCEE – parts of (a couple of clips from) ‘stevE MCquEEn’
11 I can grind out a place for the train fare (6,3)
DINING CAR – anagram (out) of I CAN GRIND
12 Pole in charge around controversial Olympic site, happy to get beaten? (11)
MASOCHISTIC – MAST (pole) IC (in charge) around SOCHI (controversial Olympic site)
14 Bible figure common to religious Israelis (3)
ELI – hidden in both (common to) ‘rELIgious’ and ‘israELIs’
15 Bread sauce that may warm the throat (4-4)
ROLL-NECK – ROLL (bread) NECK (sauce)
17 Electronic news gathering covers noise abatement (6)
ENDING – ENG (electronic news gathering) around (covers) DIN (noise)
19 Former tomb inscription over unknown’s death (6)
EXPIRY – EX (former) RIP (tomb inscription) reversed (over) Y (unknown)
20 Clean equipment area’s left for one inflicting punishment (8)
SCOURGER – SCOUR (clean) GE[a]R (equipment after area’s left)
22 Uncommon moniker – actress’s, primarily (3)
UMA – initial letters of (primarily) U[ncommon] M[oniker] A[ctress’s] – a reference to Uma Thurman
23 Arrange someone else to do trick, something fishy involving pretence (8,3)
CONTRACT OUT – CON (trick) TROUT (something fishy) around (involving) ACT (pretence)
25 Such a career might be bread-making or pile-driving (9)
LUCRATIVE – cryptic def.
27 Desensitise shrinks about origin of complex’s cause (5)
INCUR – INUR[e] (desensitise shrinks) around (about) C[omplex] (origin of complex)
28 Printer’s stock description of Alpha Papa, with leads switched? (9,5)
CARTRIDGE PAPER – PARTRIDGE CAPER (description of Alpha Papa) with initial letters swapped (with leads switched) – Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa is the title of a film
Down
2 Tolerates poor journalists and their shoddy practices? (5)
HACKS – triple def.
3 Article on Poseidon’s domain, omitting a short deception, focused on gods (11)
THEOCENTRIC – THE (article) OCE[a]N (Poseidon’s domain, omitting a) TRIC[k] (short deception)
4 Socialist daughter craving Jacqui Smith’s old constituency (8)
REDDITCH – RED (socialist) D (daughter) ITCH (craving)
5 Answer sailors over the top British novelist (6)
ARNOTT – A (answer) RN (sailors) OTT (over the top) – Jake Arnott
6 Temporary lodging or home occupied by knight (3)
INN – IN (home) around (occupied by) N (knight)
7 Job of Booker Prize novelist, ultimately to stop marking time? (9)
TICKETING – [priz]E [novelis]T in (to stop) TICKING (marking time)
8 Profit from 11, say, that starts a new line (8,6)
CARRIAGE RETURN – cryptic indicator & def.
9 One in War Club distressed with Empire State between wars (6,8)
WEIMAR REPUBLIC – I (one) in anagram (distressed) of WAR CLUB EMPIRE
13 Film for viewer beginning from Clapham Junction, cycling to reach middle of Oval (11)
CONJUNCTIVA – C[lapham] (beginning from Clapham) anagram (cycling) of JUNCTION [o]VA[l] (middle of Oval)
16 Writhing performer licked up solution while vocalising (3,6)
LAP DANCER – homophone (while vocalising) of ‘lapped’ (licked up) ‘answer’ (solution)
18 Old hand at direction claims a point east encompasses south (8)
SCORSESE – SCORES (claims a point) E (east) around (encompasses) S (south)
21 Cruel, attractive man does singularly without any aspiration (6)
UNKIND – [h]UNK (attractive man) [h]IND (does singularly {deer}) with the Hs removed (without any aspiration)
24 Lowest cardinal welcomes Christian Union with perfect timing (2,3)
ON CUE – ONE (lowest cardinal {number}) around (welcomes) CU (Christian Union)
26 Impression of sloth, second to pride (3)
AIR – AI (sloth) [p]R[ide] (second to pride)
Thanks Gaufrid, any idea why there’s a cross shape of the letter C on the major diagonals?
Hi flashling
Sorry, I haven’t a clue. Though I looked for a Nina at the time of solving, I failed to notice the Cs. Nestor’s 90th, 100th or 110th puzzle perhaps?
I thought this was an excellent puzzle. Count me as another who put in CARTRIDGE PAPER from the definition alone, although I do remember the film being released. I was pleased that the wordplay was so clear for answers like PHOTOREALISTIC, THEOCENTRIC and CONJUNCTIVA. SCORSESE was my LOI after SCOURGER.
A very satisfying puzzle indeed: I was fairly slow in solving it, with answers trickling in in little spurts (at first I was convinced that the second word of 28ac must be CASES, as used in the old days of hot-metal typesetting, and even wondered whether they were designed by a Mr Partridge), but was rewarded by the crystal-clear wordplay when I parsed them. I hope the presence of HERNIA in the top line of unches is coincidental…