In that case, I had the right word for 23D this morning! I also had the characters & creator, but only now, having printed it out again and coloured in the spare letters, do I see where they all go.
Martin - yes one vowel. The answer (plus two letters) is inside the first two words. The word was popular when I was a child to describe a layered skirt.
Hi
Nearly finished BUT:
15d. I can't find a word to fit the letter pattern. Is it a proper noun? And any guidance for 4a and 12a? I feel they must be easier than I'm finding them.