It’s Dark Up Here by Colleague

Puzzle explanation

The extra words in down clues were progressively shorter words for various types of circle. The grid contained EVER DECREASING OOOOOO (ie, circles) in a large circle, and OOZLUM BIRD in a smaller inner circle, with the OO and RD overlapping. (Any arrangement of both letters in the O/R and O/D cells was accepted.) The oozlum bird is listed in Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, the OED and elsewhere, and is the subject of the film Carry On Up the Jungle. It is said (among other things) to fly in ever decreasing circles until it disappears up itself.

The five main characters in the BBC sitcom Ever Decreasing Circles were Martin, Ann, Howard, Paul (hidden in the grid’s perimeter entries) and Hilda (reading clockwise in cells marked by circles, which, for the eagle-eyed, were also decreasing slightly in size).

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Extra word Answer Explanation
Across
1   APHTHA A + PH + THAT − T(annin)
5   CANNED CAN + END *
9   NEUR- RUNE *
11   KOALA KO + ALA
13   DORISING DO + RISING
15   LAIRS BLAIR − B + S
16   MODEM MODE + M
17   OYER OYSTER − ST
18   DIOR DIRECTOR − (RE + CT)
19   TRONA RT < + ON + A
21   BLOOD-HOT BLOOD + HOT
24   SCHMELZ SCHELM with M moved earlier + Z
28   REEST REES + T
29   ULE UTILE − TI(n)
31   ZORI Z OR I
32   DODDY D + ODDLY − L
34   PAGOD PAD around GO
35   REVEILLE REV + ELLIE <
36   ISLET IS LET
37   DEVA DE + VA(ncouver)
38   SPAULD SP + AULD
39   JESSES JESSAMINES − AMIN
Down
1   AND HOW ANYHOW with D for Y
2 Circassian HURLER HUR(d)LER
3 Antarctic TRIARCHS CHARTS * around RI
4   HASID HAS + ID
5 virtuous CENSOR COR around ENS
6   NO GO NOG + O
7 traffic NARDOO (ON ROAD) *
8   DAMMAR (RAMADAN around M − AN) <
10 family VIRILE VILE around IR
12 dress LIENTERY ENTIRELY *
14   GYPSEOUS GY + SPOUSE *
20   RHIZOIDS (ZORI + HASID) * − A
22   OLLAVS LO(o) < + LAVS
23   ARD-RIS ARIS around DR
25 crop CEDULA ALU < after CED(e)
26 hut OODLES (b)OODLES
27   TINEAS T + IN + SEA *
29   UPEND UP END (where the oozlum bird goes!)
30   EGEDE EG + ED + E
33   DIEU D + I’ + EU
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