Suspect there must be another thread elsewhere but can't find it. Enjoyed working this one through. The rather unpromising letter sequences took a while to fall into place and the preamble needed... ...
We haven't had many this year which I would categorise as a "beast", but this one's among them. Brilliantly crafted, evil clues throughout, and lots of deception in the endgame - I loved it.... ...
Have finished this (in breaks from doing the Caboodle Books Puzzle) but can't see the parsing for the last one: Huge number turned up, a number unspecified for delivery worker (8) The answer has to... ...
27 across - Is it possible to hold one dance for a shepherd's hand? (4, 4) ?A?N?A?L Something Ball I assume, but I can't think of a sensible option for the first word.
the hampers i distributed are such heavenly types 8 letters SE?A??I? Those who attend religious services may sometimes crush her cog the answer has 11 letters C?O?C?G?E?S And the last one is the sun... ...