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Thanks, that explains a lot!
I thought the superfluous letter actually appeared IN the clue.
It often does. But not in this one, and presumably others too.

It's about half and half - but again the rubric suggests the extra letter is in the clue not in the solution. So that for me is another criticism of the instructions ...

Have completed the grid now. Thanks.
But extra letters....final two characters....
I have 4 letter forename, 5 letter surname, then can only find 3 more letters, from 6 down onwards. Presume the electrical equipment needs 5 letters?

The rubric in my copy of the puzzle says that the superfluous letter is in the wordplay, which might or might not include words in the clue.
The five superfluous letters for the last word are in 5dn, 6dn, 18dn, 21dn and 23dn.

Finished this with the thread’s assistance. Very clever but progress but significantly slowed by putting Previn in at 15ac. He worked beautifully for a while!

I picked this up yesterday. I have solved normal clues.
I have only 4 extra words.

I am not sure about unclued names.
I have 2d (activist), 7d (2 word non-person connects to which extra word?)
20d (poet) , 16a (Instruments) 22a (Tennis), 27a (Playwright).

What is 24a? I have R?T.
31a with last letter L or Z?

12a could be a female name and 6a could be Cuban.
Help please.

24 Is connected to the extra word in 1 A. It's a very British reference!

6 A Yes, Cuban

31 A Neither of those letters in mine! Another quite British one. It's linked with the extra word in 26 D.

I forgot you'd mentioned the unclued names. My 7D is definitely a person, an American! There isn't a 16 A. (If it's 15 A, I don't understand the 'instruments'.) Your 22 and 27 are the same as mine.

Thanks malone.
I got 24a as the puppet.

I got the fifth extra word that gave me 6a and 10a.

31a. I thought it would be Mayor of London but no idea. Need another hint.

Did you see the earlier hint for 31 A? If not, here it is again - box clever! If you did see it, and it didn't help... it's a famous sportsman.