Here I am again as I am finding the clues difficult from the outset today.
Help please with 1a: without leader, quiet periods in many bases (8) there maybe a misprint in the definition.
Also 17d: ruse by bishops sadly permits see to be captured (9) I suspect the misprint is in the first word of this one. No letters for either yet…unless 1a begins O and 17d ends S.
See how tentative I am…thank you all