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Brendan, I don't do Everyman, but I think I got the answer to 22D - and I agree with you that it's not really a great definition. It's a bit too loose for me!

Got it, thanks Malone, thanks Jono.

...also, for 19d is the character the one who never turns up? If so I'm not sure I get the "modern theatre" reference?

I’m sure that is the character Brendan. I assume the theatre reference is there to make the clue easier. Perhaps there are older works where this could also be said?

Okay, thanks Jono - I've just been watching a video on the Riemann Hypotheseis ( I have no idea why it turned up in my Youtube recommendations but hey!) and that, coupled with some of these clues - my head hurts 😜

Another here who came to a bit of a stop in the SE corner. 21d a new word for me but solved once I got the clever 24ac.

Yes I thought the “modern” before theatre was just an extra bit of help, with it being 20th century if that’s not spoilerific. Probably my COD that.

Overall I thought this was one of the best Everymans of recent months, some of the surfaces are excellent.

Looks like 22d was the sticking point for most of us today.
Brendan, I made the definition fit as in someone's specialist subject (eg on Mastermind, for which ‘bigger moustaches on EastEnders’ would indeed be a very specialist field)

Agree with Jono -- unprecedented number of &lits ... and plenty of general knowledge needed too (3D, 4D, 19D + A). So much so that I was wondering if this is a new setter till I arrived at the SE corner and the trademark cor blimey homophone. Somehow managed to work out 21D with no crossers, thank God, as I never would have got 24A without it.

22d: add h first to 22d. Then it would sound like a person with more mane on the head or bigger moustache. I’m not used to their accent much. They drop their aitches.

Finished in just over an hour - a first for me!
Got a bit stuck in the NE corner by trying to shoehorn in "grip" as my answer to 10a but the inability of any downers to fit over it meant it had to be wrong.
A fun puzzle :-)