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I have finished this but am unhappy about the thematic 42 across/35 down. The only references I can find are a pair of German characters based on the thematic entry at 37 across. Any comments/opinions would be welcome.

I've got the same problem. There is Danny and Fanny, but that's not by the same author.

Identical problem here. All thematic clues (and the hidden pair) refer to SERIES not to characters. I can find nothing to fit, having triple-checked all intersecting solutions.

Same here - I've gone for the German version (simply because I've wasted more time on Doc's silly quirks than I care to mention, and this gets me over the line) however, the German version uses the ampersand between the names which leaves me with the choice of 'und' or 'and' - I've gone for 'und' (what a waste of time!).

I have found the two German characters, but they are not consistent with the rest of the theme which are all to do with SERIES not characters. If it is the two German characters (as seems likely), then this is a very poorly set puzzle.

Also, is there a misprint at 12a : DEAD instead of DREAD?

Yes, it must be 'dread' but I'm not working from the magazine version, so can't be sure where the error came in.

The two names give the series title for 37ac as published in Germany '***** & *****' (or perhaps the German series of films based on the books) even so, it's ridiculous to include this along with the other titles.

Perhaps we're all missing something from the incredibly long list of possible titles but, if so, it must be very well hidden - and I've already wasted enough of my time looking for it.

Thank you for the comments everybody. I have done a bit more digging on this. 37 across morphed into a longer SERIES in German and 'und' was used to link the names in that series. The & was used in a film based on those books. It is, to say the least, rather unsatisfactory. I agree that it should be 'dread' and not 'dead' in the clue for 12 across.

Thanks, alwayspuzzled - 'und' it is.

Yet another unsatisfactory puzzle from Doc. Like others here, I opted for the full German version of 42/35, even though there is no indication in the rubric as to why this should be the right answer. Any hints about the hidden words to be highlighted (e. g. do they run left to right, top to bottom, north-west to south-east...)?

...and in which language?