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I do like the red herring.

Thank you, Vismut. That was most enjoyable and very neatly done.

I have a tenuous family interest in that the thematic name was more in sympathy with one of my distant relatives than another.

All done by Saturday night, with no help, for a change. Some almost impenetrable clues, but enough quite ridiculously simple ones to get a rapid toe-hold, and then the straightforward entering of answers led to rapid progress.

I'm still relentlessly dogged by Serendipity - although not quite so laser-targetted in time as last week - see my post #188 in the 4717 thread; this week's theme refers to participation that I've been promoting - in modern terms - in the same, but rather wider-scoped field as the historic 'participants' - since the early 1980s - and I was aware of the 'memorable action' - but not familiar, to my shame, with the remarkable owner of the thematic name.

It's prompted me to write an article.

Don't we Listeners live and learn!

(But stilll don't see how the across and down clues 'link'.
- but does it matter?)

Whilst it absolutely doesn’t matter to solve the puzzle, it’s a remarkably constraining condition for something of essentially zero significance, solving-wise.

It’ll be lovely if you can spot it, palate cleanser though it may be.

… especially taken in conjunction with the obvious-when-you-see-it thing related to the numbered clues.

Hw7 - Hah! I see it now! Thanks for your encouragement.

'An absence of evidence is not evidence of absence'

I think we should call this
[ 'paired from end to end of whimsy, we hear]
conceit: "Vilmut's double paradox".

Or I'm a liar.

Thanks Vilmut, for a clever, instructive puzzle, not too desperately difficult, and thus more enjoyable, and with this nice, really ingenious piece of very hard work thrown in as an amusing present.

Quixote. It is Vismut. You're welcome.

Agree with the consensus here that this was an enjoyable and relatively gentle solve. It was a bit of a relief to finish the grid and be able to get the endgame done and dusted quickly!

Oops!
Sorry Vismut - carrying stuff in my head...

I have an answer for the second part of 'animator modelled lady-love towering over short chair in confusion' that fits with the word play, thematic adjustment and the grid. However I can't make sense of the definition, the phrase I have refers to something that a sailor might benefit from, does that sound right to anyone?