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…there’s also a reversal and a homophone in there.

I saw 1 as jono @27 did

OK. Thanks Jono. I had the wrong answer to 19d so my first answer to 20a was completely wrong. Hence my confusion. However, trying not to give spoilers I had forgotten the short version of the answer was that.

I was also held up previously by having a perfectly acceptable but wrong answer to 24a beginning with S. (I forget the name for that).

Again, thanks Vlad for a terrific solve. COD 15a.

jono and chrise - I think we’re all ad idem on the parsing of 1 (including the whimsy that jono detected). The construction of the clue still strikes me as a bit odd though.

I parsed 1 as jono@27 did.

rogissimo

Re Tyrus, really? I found that a lot easier. Looked for and found what he normally does there. In fact, that helped with a couple of clues in bottom and left. Hilarious!

ilippu
Having looked at it again, I can’t understand why it gave me more trouble than Vlad. An unfamiliar word and phrase perhaps, but I’m going to put it down to tiredness and antibiotics!

Agreed that the Tyrus puzzle is excellent, though the theme (Cheeto Mussolini) nauseates me.
Overall easier than the Vlad due to many rapidly solvable clues, but a couple of unknown words caused me difficulty.

Well boys, I'm giving up. Much too hard for me. It sent me to sleep, though that may have been the painkillers I'm on. I can't do Vlad, so I'm not sure why I started.

I might have another look once I've got the washing in.

Thanks to Vlad, that was a lot of fun.

Have no problem with 1d at all.

I feel clues like 20a deserve more praise for the way they work real-life characters (past or present) into the wordplay, only for the solver to then realise they've been led a merry dance. By their very nature, though, they are more difficult to compose and, as a result, can often appear clunky, so hats off to Vlad for making the surface of this flow relatively smoothly

Hadn't heard of 25a but was able to correctly get it from the wordplay and crossers.

COD: the beautifully succinct 18d.