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Surprised to see no thread on this yet. Challenging until theme emerged, then fun.
I have one cell left to fill. At 23d I have ?OR.
The clue is My buddy Homer.
I think buddy is an extra word.
My! could mean cor!

Hi Lumen, I have just literally finished this beast. The answer to 23d is cor, it is a double definition for "MY" and "HOMER". I cannot validate that the first word in 5d actually means (in any sense) favour.

I think some clues are incredibly tough and others equally unfair. I would never have completed this without identifying the character and those associated with him and then back solving a lot of clues.

Thanks gitto, how is homer synonym for cor?
In 5d favour is definition of the two word solution I think?
Wordplay being 'alternative' 2 letters, and 'brand' 4 letters switched in order round the extra letter.

Hi Lumen. You are correct about 5d, thanks for that. For 23d, look at the second definition of the answer in the BRB, it is a Greek measure.

Ah. I am separated from my Chambers at the moment. We will be reunited in two weeks.
Still completed Listener, and IQ (almost!)

It is also in the Collins on line dictionary. Just put cor definition into google and it will take you there.

Quite enjoyable this week, I’ve read the author many times! Much prefer it when the theme and clues have to be solved in tandem, as one can enjoy the tougher clues with self- generated help.

I've got two down clues (13 and 22) that appear to be anagrams, but each of the anagrams is two letters short. I can't see anything thematic to justify it, so can anyone be a darling and enlighten me as to what's going on?

Thanks,
Suzannah

Susannahj, in both clues two letters in the wordplay are missing because they form part of the name of the character spelt out reading down the grid, one letter in each row. For example, the first letter of 13d is also missing from the wordplay in 12a