8-across – Amy Winehouse song about alcohol addiction : REHAB

9-across – German city,home to the German Museum of Books and Writing : LEIPZIG

10-across – See 23 Down : HENDRIX

11-across – Nuclear lab technician and activist played by 25/16 in a 1983 film : KAREN

12-across – Czeslaw __,Polish poet and 1980 Nobel laureate : MILOSZ

14-across – Home to Prince Andrew’s favourite Pizza Express? : WOKING

16-across – See 25 : STREEP

17-across – Characteristic modes of expression in music or art : IDIOMS

20-across – The capital of Vietnam : HANOI

22-across – Mexican city immediately south of San Diego : TIJUANA

24-across – Archangel associated with healing : RAPHAEL

25-across – Actor whose films include The Deer Hunter and Don’t Look Up : MERYL

1-down – Katharine __,newspaper publisher played by 25/16 in The Post : GRAHAM

2-down – Raymond __,author of The Big Sleep : CHANDLER

3-down – Form of ski lift – or a training device used by rowers : TBAR

4-down – Amazon’s artificial assistant? : ALEXA

5-down – See 11 Across : SILKWOOD

6-down – Côte d’__; the French,as it were,for the French Riviera : AZUR

7-down – Rich drink also known as milk punch : EGGNOG

13-down – Donna __,character played by 25/16 in the Mamma Mia! films : SHERIDAN

15-down – Offence prohibited by the Second Commandment : IDOLATRY

16-down – Desert covering much of North Africa : SAHARA

18-down – Jonny and Greg __,Olympic gold medallists in rowing : SEARLE

19-down – Country unified in 1861 : ITALY

21-down – __ baby,a derogatory term for those who reach their position through family advantage : NEPO

23-down – Guitarist whose hits include Purple Haze : JIMI

1-across – Indian city,home to the Taj Mahal : AGRA

4-across – Place in Tolkein’s Middle-earth also known as East March : BUCKLAND

8-across – Australian city,home to the Gabba : BRISBANE

9-across – Mathematical ratio – or ‘without’ in Latin : SINE

10-across – Five __,intelligence-gathering alliance including the UK,US and New Zealand : EYES

11-across – The __,forest located in Belgium,Luxembourg and France : ARDENNES

13-across – The __,intellectual movement in which Kant and Voltaire were leading voices : ENLIGHTENMENT

16-across – Jewish festival remembering the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt : PASSOVER

18-across – Tess __,co-host of Strictly Come Dancing : DALY

20-across – See 2 Down : PARK

22-across – A national of Kumasi or Accra? : GHANAIAN

23-across – Shetland island known for its knitting style : FAIRISLE

24-across – The capital of Qatar : DOHA

2-down – Novel by Martin Cruz Smith which introduced Arkady Renko : GORKY

3-down – Video game based on stories of the Knights Templar : ASSASSINS

4-down – Kenneth __,director of Belfast : BRANAGH

5-down – See 3 : CREED

6-down – Resort city in Nevada : LAS

7-down – Soft yellow cotton cloth from China : NANKEEN

12-down – 2020 film by Chloé Zhao starring Frances McDormand : NOMADLAND

14-down – __ Falls,city in both the US and Canada : NIAGARA

15-down – The Gorgon sister of Medusa and Stheno : EURYALE

17-down – See 6 : VEGAS

19-down – Ken __,director of I,Daniel Blake : LOACH

21-down – Cocktail made with creme de cassis and white wine : KIR

6-across – Author of Roots: The Saga of an American Family : ALEXHALEY

8-across – 19 __,Phil Tufnell’s nickname? : CAT

9-across – __ Kramer,character in Seinfeld : COSMO

10-across – The currency of the former German Democratic Republic : OSTMARK

11-across – HBO hit about a group of guests at a series of luxury hotels : THEWHITELOTUS

13-across – Thoroughfare connecting New Jersey and Manhattan : LINCOLNTUNNEL

16-across – Henrietta Swan __,US astronomer after whom a crater on the moon is named : LEAVITT

18-across – Oscar-winning film starring Jean-Louis Trintignant,Emmanuelle Riva and Isabelle Huppert : AMOUR

19-across – A leading UK peer-reviewed medical journal : THE

20-across – Autonomous Danish territory coveted by Donald Trump? : GREENLAND

1-down – See 19 Across : LANCET

2-down – See 8 : CHOOCHOO

3-down – Louisa May __,author of Little Women : ALCOTT

4-down – The currency unit in Myanmar : KYAT

5-down – Ben __,England men’s test cricket captain : STOKES

7-down – South African province,the second largest by area : EASTERNCAPE

8-down – Glenn Miller hit about a train from New York to Tennessee : CHATTANOOGA

12-down – Swiss city,capital of the canton of Vaud : LAUSANNE

13-down – 1955 novel by Vladimir Nabokov : LOLITA

14-down – <span>Spice made from the seeds of </span><i>Myristica fragrans</i><span></span> : NUTMEG

15-down – Streets of __,western novel and television series starring James Garner : LAREDO

17-down – __ Pop,the stage name of James Osterberg : IGGY

7-across – Amanda __,poet who performed at the inauguration of Joe Biden : GORMAN

8-across – A dagger – and a 2024 Netflix comedy set in Ireland : BODKIN

9-across – Edward __,composer of nonsense verse : LEAR

10-across – Upper canines? : EYETEETH

11-across – Jewish revolutionary against the Roman occupation of Judea : ZEALOT

12-across – Jean __,star of Hacks : SMART

14-across – Verb Boris Johnson used to suggest a public inquiry would be a waste of money : SPAFF

16-across – Members of Japanese organised crime groups : YAKUZA

19-across – See 5 Down : DEFERRED

20-across – Country bordering the UAE,Saudi Arabia and Yemen : OMAN

22-across – The twelfth sign of the Zodiac : PISCES

23-across – “Useful __,” how Lenin is said to have described Western visitors to the Soviet Union : IDIOTS

1-down – Brighton &amp; __,city in East Sussex : HOVE

2-down – Italian province,home to Perugia : UMBRIA

3-down – Maya __,poet who performed at the first inauguration of Bill Clinton : ANGELOU

4-down – Henrik __,author of A Doll’s House : IBSEN

5-down – “What happens to __?” from Harlem by Langston Hughes : ADREAM

6-down – __ Falls,at the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia : VICTORIA

11-down – Ferdinand von __,German airship designer : ZEPPELIN

13-down – Musical supergroup formed in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure : BANDAID

15-down – Dawn __ comedian known for her work with Jennifer Saunders : FRENCH

17-down – 1516 book by Thomas More : UTOPIA

18-down – Robert __,poet who performed at the inauguration of John F Kennedy : FROST

21-down – The fifth book of the New Testament : ACTS

6-across – The Albanian capital : TIRANA

7-across – One who flew too close to the sun? : ICARUS

9-across – Winner of the 2025 Oscar for best director for 8 : SEAN

10-across – Stock exchange index of 30 of the US’s leading companies : DOWJONES

11-across – Henry __,protagonist of The Red Badge of Courage : FLEMING

13-across – See 9 : BAKER

15-across – Adrien __,winner of the 2025 Oscar for best actor : BRODY

17-across – See 19 Down : MADISON

20-across – Grammy-winning song from 2007 by Kanye West : GOODLIFE

21-across – Unit used to estimate cloud cover,equal to one eighth of the sky : OKTA

23-across – Robinson __,much filmed adventure story by Daniel Defoe : CRUSOE

24-across – Wild cat native to Central America and the Caribbean : OCELOT

1-down – County on the northern shore of the Forth : FIFE

2-down – Wine bottle holding 1.5 litres : MAGNUM

3-down – Zoe __,2025 Oscar winner for best actress in a supporting role : SALDANA

4-down – Zambian city at the heart of the Copperbelt : KITWE

5-down – Freudian concept known in German as Über-Ich : SUPEREGO

8-down – Winner of the 2025 Oscar for best picture : ANORA

12-down – Another nautical term for the port side : LARBOARD

14-down – Peninsula extending in an arc from south-east Massachusetts : CAPECOD

16-down – Anneliese __,cabinet minister who resigned over cuts to the aid budget : DODDS

18-down – In Shakespeare’s play,the daughter of Cymbeline : IMOGEN

19-down – Winner of the 2025 Oscar for best actress : MIKEY

22-down – Ancient city in what is now Turkey : TROY