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I've been solving the Listener Crossword for the best part of forty years, and I think it may have had its day. I don't think there has been one memorable puzzle this year, and this one is sub-EV, complete with the giveaway diagonals. A proper Listener should require hours of hard mental graft, and should be a rewarding exercise. This offering, and too many others of late, have been neither. Perhaps the heavyweight setters just aren't there any more. Or perhaps the editors need a hard word. Either way, the Inquisitor is proving regularly to be the stiffer, and more enjoyable challenge.

We are all different. If a puzzle takes me me more than an half an hour, I'm pretty fed up with it! However I only attempt the Guardian and RT crosswords.

Crucifer, I agree that the latest Listener is rather a let-down, but I think most of those who post on this forum will disagree about the standard of this year’s Listeners. Last week’s, for instance, was an intricate construction, requiring “hours of mental graft”, certainly for me and several others on the forum. And the EV puzzles have sometimes been extremely challenging and enjoyable. In my opinion the editors of both series are deserving of high praise.

Agreed, Rad, last week's was a tricky number, but it was still a scrappy affair. The bottom line in the finished grid was a bit of a dog's dinner, and it was not a puzzle that one will remember a few years hence. What I was saying is, the Listener used to be the ne plus ultra of crossword puzzles, and solving them felt like an achievement. It hasn't felt like that for a while.

PS I wasn't being dismissive of the EV, I've been doing it for years, and have received several of their delightful pens. But you must admit, it has always been on the easier side, and they do have a thing about the diagonals...

Hi crucifer, like yourself I am a bit disappointed if the Listener is on the gentle side particularly if there has been a run of similar "standard" puzzles as is the case at the moment. As someone who does all 3 of the weekend offerings you mention I have noticed that setters can appear in any of the 3 publications so it's a tad unfair pigeonholing EV though I take your point about diagonals and in my opinion one of the most consistent "heavyweight" setters with some stonking constructions of late is Ifor and I felt his? last Listener was worthy of comparison to many puzzles of "yore".

Ginge: did I pigeonhole the EV? I love the EV, especially the comedy editing. There's always a mistake somewhere. Spotting it is half the fun.

Hi again crucifer, another fair point. At least there only seems to be 1 per puzzle :)

Agree this Listener is sub-standard. From the number of extremely simple "concealed within" and anagram clues and high % untreated clues, it feels far too simple.

Plus there was no need to even spot the extra words due to the give-away grid-fill once you spot part of the thematic word hence the obvious solution to 38.

There is always a wealth of puzzles available to suit the level of challenge a solver is looking for. I look forward to the listener every week wanting a severe challenge. This weeks offering is disappointing to say the least, and questionable as to its place in the listener archives. I have both the crossword books of Listeners of the past, and mostly, in terms of difficulty rating, there is no comparison.