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Cockie: my assumption is that the preamble wouldn't say that 'lengths in brackets refer to grid entries' unless the first possibility was the one intended. This means that (if I'm right) a completed grid won't show evidence that the solver has actually worked everything out - but I think that risk has been minimised by Sabre by making it necessary to perform a substitution on one of the letters that won't then appear. Devilish cunning is at work here!

On the other hand (so to speak), if that substitution is meant to appear in the grid, then the second possibility may well be correct. But then the unclued entry wouldn't 'illustrate the cause of the coincidence', which in the two examples requires absolute precision. If my entry is disallowed because I've chosen wrongly I shall be hopping mad.

Finally, if you don't work out what the letter pairs are telling you, how will you be able to carry out all the substitutions correctly?

I normally really enjoy Sabre but not this time as I have no idea what is going on! For instance, how should I enter 'ACANTH'? We are told to change one letter but the C and A match down answers, the A and N are unchecked and the TH goes somehow in the central column. So, what changes?

I'm nearly there!
My advice (for what it's worth) is to look carefully at the two phrases created by the unclued central column. Then to do what Ionacarr has suggested and write out the pairs of letters in the down answers whenever they occur. Then pick the member of each pair where you see words forming (connected with the theme). Remember to look out for some unexpected letters in a few answers that have to be there to make the required words. You are looking for two phrases linked with the theme - use each member of the pair separately - not as a "double".
Even though I don't send in the solution to the Listener I'm going to print another grid in case my choice of letters goes wrong!
The great thing about these crosswords is that they can be a bit like climbing Everest but it's a wonderful sense of achievement when you get there.

Well,yes but I haven't got the phrases yet. For example, using 'ACANTH' do the letters 'TH' go into the cell in the central column or only one of the two. There is no indication in the preamble what to do with the extra letters in some of the across clues. Any help gratefully received.

Hi Jamesa,

Put both letters in the central column to begin with ...you will have to decide which is the most appropriate letter to remain as only one can be 'seen' in the completed puzzle.

What a lot of contributions! I am stuck with 4ac. Tried lots of words but not convinced. Pretty sure of BR--U---s. 8d might begin with o. Still stuck with 12 (starts with g?) 34 r--sick-v and 25 --dd-. Any help gratefully received.

Hi Rickye,

Remember that there will be clashing letters and some answers are longer than their grid entries...
4ac is a 12 letter anagram meaning something to do with BO. Your BR and S are correct, but the U is a clash.

8d does begin with O. Definition is different. 3 letter word for my contained in officer's jacket (O...R)

12d. Definition is tea. Not sure how you getthe first 3 letters but ends G(allons) O(f) U(heart of troUble)

34a is an anagram

25a You're looking for a 6 letter word meaning earring. (The DD's do not form part of the answer.) If you were sending a letter to Mr Hope how would you begin...

Hope that helps...I've spent far too long on this crossword, but it was worth it in the end.

Very many thanks. I'd tried various ear things but could not think of a famous hope -silly!

Would someone be so good as to confirm my understanding of the problem left facing me.
I have a complete grid with the missing down answer completed, thus giving the theme. Elsewhere, I have 30 cells which each contain a two clashing letters, plus there are a further two cells which (are assumed) to contain an example of two letters that are the same. From these 32 cells, one thread using a letter from each cell creates an example of the coincidence and a second thread containing the other letter letter of the pairs does the same. There is then the decision as to which of these two threads to enter, which I assume is covered by the further 4 letter example in the grid.

I'm having troubling deciding what the pair of letters is for certain clues.

Take 16a. It clashes three times with down answers. I've been working on the assumption that it has to be the one that is unique to that entry. So 2d, 3d and 4d each has the 4th cell replaced. (3d can't have the 3rd cell replaced because that is unique to 13a). But that leaves nothing to replace for 16a.