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The extra word in 33d was the last I found too. It might be helpful to point out that the last word of the clue isn't a noun.

Thanks both.

I knew the answer and definition but it’s only just now that I realised that I wasn’t contemplating the right word to be removed. It’s funny how your mind can just put a block on things like that. As soon as I had realised that, I spotted the wordplay.

Matched up all the definitions now so can put it to bed.

Surely the preamble should say "touched letters", not "untouched..."?

That's what I thought originally, but in the context of the theme the preamble is correct. Don't want to say more at this stage for fear of giving too much away.

I agree, loge - the influencer must be immune/'untouched'.

Agreed, if the relevant letters were touched the grid entry would be the answer to the clue - which it isn't.

Hmm, but surely that means that all the letters in the grid entry are untouched, doesn't it?

I imagined the influence passing through the answers, blacksaint - and where there is contact the influence is felt locally (in a sense, I think it's the opposite of how themed entries usually work - the thematic entries are clued, the real/original answers are final entries).

Yes, but remember that the grid entry is pre-modification. Compare the thematic grid entries with the answers to the relevant clues (the modified versions of the grid entries) and you'll see that only some letters are different. "Before touching" could be an alternative to "untouched". I know I haven't explained this very well - it's hard to get one's head around the clue answers, not the entries, being the mutated versions. I don't think I've ever come across this before.

...and Drxx's explanation is much clearer than mine!