I'd like to comment.
I spent over 10 hours last weekend working out how to 'crack this beastie', and was proud of myself when I finally saw the light. I had a sense of achievement, knew that I had stuck with it when many others wouldn't, and was pleased to have maintained a record where I've submitted every puzzle for the last four years.
However, yet again that achievement will not be recognised or seen to be anything special, simply because this thread, even if it does not actually give away the answer, will provide enough information that anybody who simply Googles 'Listener 4003' will within a few seconds receive substantial help simply by reading this thread. Having spent ten hours going down numerous blind alleys when trying to crack the denouement, I now have to ask myself what the point was.
Each week, I could simply not even look at a puzzle until the weekend after it's been published, look on here, then sneak my entry in just before the deadline. As I've said before, when it comes to the Listener, Answerbank is the last resort of the stupid, the lazy and the selfish. You should all be ashamed of yourselves.
If you make it to the Dinner next March as an all-correct, MadSolver, then I hope you will let us all know your real name in advance. If it's so acceptable to use Answerbank to cheat at solving the Listener, surely there's no harm in somehow letting us Listenerites know who you are? You can post an anonymous message on the Crossword Centre message board, or I can let you have my e-mail addres so that you can get in touch. It'll be good to meet you.