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Apologies for the jargon, Helen. Here's a good explanation of &lit:
https://www.crosswordunclued.com/2008/08/and-literally-so.html?m=1

Thanks to ilippu for sharing the link. Like many until I saw the hints for 16d I was a bit bemused. Then it was a nice comfortable solve. But, my weekend routine has been Guardian/Observer for many many years. It's been a part of my life. I just wanted to say on here this makes me very sad. Guardian I'm sure you had your reasons but I feel like you should have hung on in there. There had to be a way.

Well that was tricky.

Not the puzzle of course, but finding out where it was and coping with a new/different format/page/platform.

I would hate the world to think i couldn't cope with change. But after 50 years of doing Everyman I had got used to the way I found it.

Ah well. If can deal with Spurs in 16th I should be able to deal with this.

As for the actual puzzle and the forum. I think my CoD is 20a, LoI for me. And thanks to this forum for a good read.

16d (One shooting around…) seems to a repetition of 16d in Everyman 4096, the answer to which was guardian. I can’t make sense of it here. Confused. 😕

Andrewt - early posts in this chain refer to this.

Meant nothing to me, but last week's solution was the host paper for Everyman until it all changed with new ownership.

The Observer is part of a media company whose name provides the answer. Refer also to aesop fable.

Hi. Just wanted to say thanks for clues as to where to find this Xword.

Agree it's a shame to lose it from the Guardian app, but it was still entertaining. Thanks, Everyman.

17A made me smile

One shooting around outstripped hare - definition of fabled creature

backing over -

primarily, this one's charged to protect - definition of Roman military formation

I hadn't thought of the Roman battle formation, so thanks Henryp. I realised tge connection with last week's, which i thought was neat, clever and apposite, but still can't fully parse 16d. Are the numbers smaller or is it my glasses.?

Bob, @36, 41 and 42 give the parsing for 16d.

I did consider the Roman meaning but felt the wordplay parsing was more convincing.

I think the text size is the same but I note the Observer uses a serif font which does make it look different from the Guardian.

BTW, if you want to find older Everymans you now have to go to “search the archive” on the Guardian site.

Thanks Jono. Its funny how the things you see immediately seem obvious, but you are left in awe as to how others work things out. As we say today, its a journey!