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Thanks guys x that makes sense finally.

It should be 6, 13 across, not 6, 16 across!
I’m still stuck with 10a! The rest were ok.

Funny, 6, 13a was the write-in I parsed much later. Never noticed the typo! 10 is an obscure thematic ("romantic novelist") I had to Google after figuring out the wordplay. A backward synonym of "couple" (3) is key; the 2 single letters are straightforward.

10a: Thanks. I got it now. Had to look up Google for this obscure author.

Enjoyable crossie until NE corner . 8 ,10 and 12 were a struggle . But now done and dusted

As a solver for 40 years . 9a made me recall the moment that the clue 'Sign of growth' had tears springing from my eyes in a crowded train ..

Excellent I thought, very clever thematically. Lots of great clues and interesting constructions, I had no complaints (apart from ‘initial and final cuts’ in 11 perhaps which seems a tad imprecise).
Brendan, I believe the Times has a rule about not mentioning anyone still living, but not so the Guardian.

But are they still living? Would be potentially easy for the first one to pass on the techniques to a successor and thus achieve seeming immortality 🙂

West side went in ok, but spluttered to a standstill in the east, not helped by inadvertently putting in the French version of 6d first, despite them being one of my favourite authors. Silly brain.

I still can’t see 8d.

8: Within the lineage of a famous "religious leader", most have been known by a single name, but a very few by two names.

Thank you! The tea tray just hit the floor. Clever clue.