No major problems with this, which had some clever ideas.
Solving time: 12 mins (fast for me)
* = anagram
ACROSS
1 BUCK Double definition
11 SHAM (BL) E BL was British Leyland
12 Martin SCOR(S)ES(E) Film Director S = Soprano E = European
13 (mi)STRESS “Woman kept” usually reversed M1 is one of the measures of the money supply going from M0 right up to M5.
21 ANTHEM Clever – a cryptic definition drawn up to look like a standard definition/wordplay clue. (Not so, thanks colinblackburn for explaining it – see below)
22 BOA TRACE
24 (BONK-LIT)* i.e, INK BLOT Used in the Rorscach test to identify personality traits and disorders.
25 INC(ENS)E Ens = being. In my edition a picture and article on Paul INCE helpfully appears on the adjoining page (in the football section)
26 M (IN) ISERIES Victor Meldrew the archetypal MISERY
DOWN
2 C(HERO)OT TOC = train operating company “going up”
4 LOCK SMITHS (an 1980s Indie band)
7 T (ABLE) AU “Fit in” is cleverly misleading.
9 PIN (S AND) NEEDLES The novelist George SAND for E (drug) in PINE NEEDLES, I think,
14 GUILLOTINE Cryptic definition (Bean = head). Struck me as just slightly strained.
18 CATSKIN Hide (skin) from Queen perhaps (a type of cat) CATKINS with the S (sun) “risen”
23 STAR STAR(buck) i.e. one = one across here – ref Starbuck’s chain of coffee shops
I thought the GUILLOTINE clue was brilliant. One man’s beans…?
I liked ‘bonk lit’ – a wonderful name for the Jackie Collins/Jilly Cooper/Shirley Conran literary genre.
Nice puzzle, as ever from Dac. Another vote in favour of Fr. beans. Didn’t understand crafty wordplay for 26 while solving, but after quick review of ?T?R possibilities decided to hit and hope.
Isn’t 21 an &lit with the definition part being a little cryptic?
A+N+THEM(e)
Still, nice to see The Jam and the Smiths in the same puzzle.
Colin
Er – as ever from Merlin (in this case!)
ANTHEM That’s it, Colin – all dicts confirm melody = theme. GUILLOTINE – I gracefully accept the majority view.
Merlin indeed! Apologies to him…