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Ken Higgs. Yes, there is an oblique connection, check out responses 62 and 63 first.

Right:
I've got a full grid, I understand the combination of (a) and the title, and how this is common to the answers to the normal clues, all three of which I know and have parsed.

I also understand the non-verbal symbolic entries in the six crossword lights making up these three answers, and know that these correspond correctly (if only incompletely) to the respective verbal versions of the answers.
I also understand that (b) is a play on the theme clued cryptically by Lionheart in the preamble, and that it implies that the substitution mentioned should involve transposition of two or more of the three "normal" clue answers.
I also understand and have entered 18d, 12d (important in a field I've been active in for 65 years - though evidently not to everyone's taste) - although this clashes in four places with the symbolic entries of the normal clue answers (with letters making up a conceivably thematic 4-letter word).

My problem is that I can make nothing that I can comprehend with (c) - I'm missing two of the 9 extra letters, from 30d and 33d - I've guessed the entries/definitions, but the wordplay of both defeats me - and the 7 letters that I am sure of resist all my attempts at decoding.

I hope I haven't given too much away, and that some kind soul can find a way to subtly nudge me towards enlightenment that will also not give too much away.

Hope 1a was nice to you all.

Quixote, 30 down wordplay is abbreviation for "check" plus a 4-letter plural of a word meaning a boat-shaped ornamental holder for a napkin. It's the first letter of the latter that is extra

33 3-letter word for Asian coin + word for "I" all reversed. The extra letter is the last of the "I" word

Quixote, if you have 'r' as the last letter for c, it's wrong. That held me up for ages.

Thanks plank and loge

Have you 'a' as the fourth word for 22.31? That is not how it appears in the sheet we gave out for the carol service on the sandbank, but if so problem solved with gratitude.

Now on to 11,17 which demands 13 letter four words. I set number four grand-pup on the problem and she came up with a hymn first letter "J". Are we on the right lines here? - recorder approach tomorrow.

A good seasonal puzzle and, so far, worth the effort.

Wlliamseal, wouldn't your version - of 22,31 - have too many letters? Yes, to your question about 11,17.

Yes WS I have A as the fourth word, though both versions appear to be valid. Needs A for the wordplay too.

Looks like you’ve cracked 11/17.

Norah, it took me 5 attempts to reply to a recent post on the 4690 thread. This was quite a hard puzzle and there may still be a few requests for help, so perhaps it would be worth a Part 2. Can always delete if there are no takers.

It’s things like this that make me distrust AI. I’d rather watch Mamma Mia again than get in a driverless car, and that’s really saying something 😉

Oh dear Loge 😜

The problem with the second sentence of your second para is the word “again”. We infer from this that you have, therefore, watched it at least once. We’d rather worm the dog than admit to that.

Could someone nudge me re 18 12 please? I'm not sure what we're supposed to do with it.
Does it matter that answers two and three of the normal clues are incomplete?