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Great puzzle: tough but most enjoyable. The clue for 13 across was brilliant.
I have everything except 30ac ,despite the earlier post, and 38ac, which I can't make head or tail of.

Doctorj, I think it's the top line of the perimeter that is relevant, in which case there is only one solution.

Earmaniac, some of the letters in the perimeter are fixed by other clues. After they are substituted, they leave only proper words or abbreviations. Some have only one or two possible substitutions. Starting with these and filling in the letters of the substituted words as you go, you can discover the cipher.

Mack,

30a is 2 (common crossword measure, reversed) +3 (relative), giving a BRB word for counter in a specific game.

38a is (I think) 2 ('like this') + 3 (most of a neck twist), all reversed, giving a BRB word for 'bows'.

Thanks, Barnacle. Both were simpler than I had imagined.

doctorj:

There are exactly 2 ways to use the diagonal from the NW to SE corner of the grid and some of the top edge of the grid to form a shape that is 1a. One of them is too big as its area is more than 56. The other one has an area that is associated with the 55a 56a and that cell definitely has a vowel in it.

Other 7a's are possible but they are not 1a.

Thanks- I showed it to a couple of non-Listener friends and they agreed the key is using the diagonal, so it’s a case of understanding the written instructions!

I still think 56a isn’t the right description but never mind- great puzzle regardless.

Talking of keys, I have managed to solve the puzzle but without being able to crack the substitution cipher. Probably difficult to give a hint to it without giving the game away but a cryptic tip to the key would be much appreciated.

Unstuck, a word in the original perimeter appears again elsewhere in the substituted perimeter

Unstuck, I think you have to proceed as Mack suggested. If you have the hint from corrected misprints, that may help with one section. I found the right hand column the most useful because there are several letters which have very few alternatives and this enables you to place those letters elsewhere, as well as allowing you to guess the entry for that column.