Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

The clues...
Requests for help should normally include the clue itself, the number of letters in the answer, and details of any you already have. Any additional information or special instructions, common in Listener puzzles, should also be included.
HINTS only, please, no answers.

The theme...
Help with the theme may also be sought and given here. The help should be just a nudge, a pointer in the right direction - enough to assist a struggling solver, not so much that it spoils the puzzle for others. Any posts which, even inadvertently, reveal too much of the theme, are likely to be removed.

The Listener is a unique puzzle and should be treated with respect.

This is being posted earlier than usual as I'll be out for the rest of the day.

Absolutely marvellous stuff from Elgin. A lovely ending. Can I urge people not to give it away on here, please?

I think, in passing, that where the preamble says 22 is in Collins (as distinct from Chambers) it means 21

Oh my! I stand corrected!!! It's even more brilliant than I thought!

I would be amazed if my incorrect comment gave anything away....

We finally worked out the second set of friends (Mrs B had the PDM!) - and the highlighting. Really clever puzzle construction; many thanks to Elgin.

Having trouble parsing 42. The first four letters of the answer make sense; not sure how the last two letters are meant to be indicated by the clue. Also agree regarding 21. Interesting puzzle.

Riversk, in 42a, the last 2 words are the definition. "Had" is part of the wordplay.

At the request of Buzz by email, I deleted several posts. I hope that I didn’t delete any which should have stayed.😂

One of the posts deleted was by Will who asked Buzz to email me because he said that I don’t read all the posts in every thread.

Will is quite right, life’s too short to read all the threads. Please email me about any concerns in any thread on the Forum and your email will be dealt with ASAP

I am completely stuck with the NE corner and puzzled by the preamble, as I do not seem to have the necessary 1st letters of clues to satisfy what I have in the grid - D being a prime example.

gitto - are you looking at the first letters of the clues?