Light Entertainment by G&T

Puzzle explanation

The puzzle marked the 50th anniversary of the Two Ronnies’ “four candles” sketch, first aired on BBC1 on 18 September 1976. The two pairs of glasses drawn in the vacated cells represented the show’s logo. Corrections to the misprints in clues spelt “read centres of forty clues; melt a tetrad of luminaries”. The altered set of answers consisted of four (types of) candles: TEALIGHT, BEESWAX, CORPSE, SPERM. Their clues were the only ones using homophones in the wordplay, in reference to the sketch’s subject of confusion caused by audibly ambiguous phrases, and the answers were entered jumbled (“melted”). The middle letters of the odd-length clues (all but the ones for the candles and the top and bottom rows) spelt out the duo’s catchphrase, “It’s goodnight from me. And it’s goodnight from him”. A few hints for the sketch appeared in clues: “fork” (35dn), “handles” (44ac) and “four” (45ac). Corbett’s sitcom Sorry! was hinted at in 36ac, and Barker’s Porridge in 35dn.

There was an error in the preamble: when the candle answers were entered jumbled, with SPERM entered as PEMRS at 38dn, there were 8 clashes, not 9. However, 9 clashes could be managed by jumbling SPERM to SEMRP, leading to a final grid entry of SEMRS. Both PEMRS and SEMRS were counted as correct.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Misprint Answer Explanation
Across
1 boa(R) CAPTAIN COOKER COOKER after CAPTAIN
10 Pr(E)p’s HOMEWORK HOME + WORK
13 F(A)g TIRE TIRE(e)
14 win(D) ALEE E in ALE
15 sul(C)ation STRIA S + TRIA(l)
16 S(E)T COMBINATORICS COMBI + N/A + TO + RICS
18 bi(N)d GIRTED GIR(o) + TED
19 (T)rees ORCHAT OR + CHAT
22 g(R)oss NEFAST NE(t) + FAST
24 tr(E)e BWAZI (W + ZAMBIA − AM) *
26 (S)ea ALGA (form)AL GA(rden)
27 m(O)de BUSES B + USE + S
28 (F)lower AVON A(t) + V + ON
29 (F)amed TILDA (A + D + LIT) <
30 N(O)t SPARSE SPARS + E
33 (R)ector GLEBES (EG THEBES WILL) * − (WHILE T) *
36 Cre(T)e CRETAN TRANCE *
39 spra(Y) EAU DE TOILETTE (DUE TO EEL EAT IT) *
41 S(C)rew HUNKS CHUNKS − C
42 (L)edge BERM B(ets) + ERM
43 mo(U)ths IGBO BIG * + O(il)
44 stor(E) RETAILER (RE + ER) around TAIL
45 (S)our CHERRY BOUNCES (HEREBY CONCURS) *
Down
1 Ar(M)y CHACO (whi)CH A CO(wboy)
2 (E)gg OOLOGY (b)OO(t) + LOGY
3 me(L) BEE-BREAD BEEB + READ
4 Par(T)s TONNEAUS (SUN ON + (s)EAT(s)) *
5 tr(A)mps TREADS TR(y) + E + (D + S + A) *
6 (T)akes ABSORBS ABS + ORBS
7 dam(E) KIRI (KI(p) + I(ndia)) around R
8 plan(T) ERICA ICA after (cl)ER(gy)
9 (R)abbie’s REASTING (GITANES + R) *
11 Tr(A)ce WHIT WITH with last letter moved up
12 (D)iet KETO TOKE(n) *
17 (O)lio MINGLE NG in MILE
20 (F)or HAVE AT H + (c)AVEAT
21 g(L)ow TEALIGHT LIGHT after homophone of TEE
23 M(U)g TEAR INTO ((f)INA(l) + (l)OTTER(y)) *
25 ho(M)e WASTE BIN (WEB ISN’T + A) *
27 h(I)ve BEESWAX BEES + homophone of WHACKS
31 li(N)e CORPSE homophone of CORE + ESP <
32 me(A)t ENTRÉE 2 meanings
35 fo(R)k STIR 2 meanings
37 (I)T ELEA ALEE *; ref 14ac
38 Se(E)d SPERM homophone of SPUR + M
40 (S)top UNBE (s)UNBE(d)
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