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Could not see a previous post - but found this quite enjoyable - albeit my quickest finish ever (30 mins). Leaves plenty of time for Wimbledon!

You're a little in front of me Crates, though I have been out all day. Another Edward Lear theme ? What's the equivalent of readership for solvers ? Solvership ? What age-range do the setters believe that their solvership is ? Do we need these regressive, banal ditties every other week ? Though I suppose it does perhaps add another dimension to the 'dumbing down' of the Listener...

I think I managed just 20 minutes on 13th May...no BRB, no online assistance. A little longer on this.

23D is surely 4,1,3. That's the way it appears in 2008 edition of Chambers.

Yes I agree that clue 23 is divided 4,1,3 . What a great puzzle .

I really liked the way the setter made "the entire puzzle " thematic, including the title, the preamble, all the clues and all the answers. That's very difficult and must have taken many days to achieve - even this little message was tricky to write thematically :-)

Many thanks Chalicea.

Yes I did put in a single deliberate mistake in that last message ... can't make this Listener business easy...

The preamble tells us that 23 and 25 are phrases. The unusual approach is for a very good reason.
A magnificent construction.

Hi Mersault
Just finished this sitting by the pool in Cordoba and for the first time without reference to BRB (tho I guess 9 across ends in R?). I agree with your comments about dumbing down. We seem to swing between these and ridiculous end games.

Rather like the perennial complaints about GCSE (and its precursor, GCE) there have been complaints about dumbing down of the Listener ever since I started solving it. Every year there are a few puzzles that seasoned solvers regard as too easy, and others that are regarded as unfairly tough. The average level of difficulty over the year has been fairly consistent. 2007 was a relatively easy year, 2009 and 2013 were more difficult than average. These are subjective judgements based on my solving experience. I note the difficulty of every puzzle after solving, along with other details.
So far this year looks no different to 2015, though possibly easier than 2016, but we haven't had a Sabre yet. Perhaps he's what's in store for us next week.

Can't comment on previous years as new to the listener but really enjoyed this. Completed on the train between Exeter and Bristol so not too difficult. Almost had to share with my fellow passengers when I saw how the difficulty applied to the whole puzzle but they may not have appreciated the cleverness of the setter.
Entertaining if one of the easier puzzles.

I liked this one. I didn't complete it as quickly as most people did, but it's good to have Listener that I can do. I love the theme, too. Happy memories.