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Apologies for jumping in early on this one, but unless I’m missing something very clever, this (very clever) crossword is missing a special instruction.

Wow! I mean.... wow! Boatman really putt us through our paces with this one.

I don't know if there is a Special Instruction missing or we are just supposed to work it out on our it on our own but, suffice it to say, there is a theme.

Things started so well when my FOI's were the 9a/3d crossers. I then got the next few as well but that's when I started to ask myself if there was something going on. 18a, for example, seemed obvious but where is the definition? Same with 8d and then I was certain Boatman was having some fun with us:-)

If you do get stuck (and you will 😂) there is at least one hidden in the acrosses and at least one long anagram in the downs.

I initially put in the wrong answer for 25a which held me up for ages and, while I'm confident I've now got it right, I still can't parse all of it!

There are also 3 others I can't fully parse, regardless of if they are themed or not - 13d, 31a and 20a but I'll persevere for a while longer.

To be honest, I feared a DNF so am just relieved to have finally staggered over the finishing line.

1d - I wondered how long it would take for this word to appear in a crossword:-)

COD - To be honest, given the trials of the theme, I wasn't really savouring the nuances of the clues bt if I'm pushed I'll go with 10a.

Thanks to Boatman for a real workout.

How many themed answers have you spotted ? So far I can see 11 but there may be more - let us know in the comments and, as always, if you do run into difficulties, never be afraid to post your question on here.

Stay safe:-)

Hi Brendan

Yes, a real puzzle. ICAN help with a couple.
31a you delete edges.
20a the first letter is the definition and Europeans use a different land measure unti.
13d not sure.

13d is themed. Think of what borders Britain and then move the company back.

Thanks Mystogre,

31a - For some reason I couldn't see past adding the edges of "one" to my answer to try and get a word for "harsh"!

30a - I discounted this because I thought we used the ?? over here but, following your reply, I double-checked and, even though we now do, it is only as a result of an EU ruling so - take a bow sir:-)

Thanks Rogissimo,

I knew it was themed but, regardless, I just couldn't see the wordplay even though the unadjusted word was my initial thought for the answer:-)

Incidentally, brendan, I can only see 10 theme words that are not defined in their clues. Are you including defined possible theme words to get to your ‘at least’ 11?

You're right Rogissimo, my mistake - I was including a clue that contains the theme word but the answer is unrelated.

Phew, thanks brendan, that’s a relief! Now I have only to worry whether there is an instruction hidden within the clues that renders a ‘special instruction’ unnecessary. If there isn’t, then although we have managed to work it out (and it was fun to do so when the penny dropped), it does seem unusual to say the least (and as far as I remember unprecedented in a Guardian prize crossword). Is it unfair? Perhaps not, given the allusions to the theme in two or three other clues. It will be interesting to see what others think.

25a - I still haven't fully parsed this and can't decide if it has anything to do with the famous flautist (no, not Benjamin Raspail 😂) or not!