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simond9x21st, thanks so much for that link! What a fiasco with the new user interface. I would never have found it.

On the easy side this week. I don't mind easy puzzles, in fact I enjoy them as a breath of fresh air. Not much else to say about it. I have no familiarity at all with the theme but found what I needed online.

Yes, too easy, dull subject, no PDM. Bit of a waste of time all round really. They can't all be Enigmatist's I guess.

Nice and straightforward and very enjoyable.
The theme was familiar to me, having encountered the collector in another puzzle earlier in the year.
Thanks Almasti.

Spot on, Smellyharry. A mercifully brief waste of time for me No offence to Almasti, genuinely, as it's a perfectly well compiled puzzle, but not what I want from a Listener. Solvers need to stand up and be counted. There’s a groupthink that the Listener needs to attract new subscribers, and therefore needs more entry-level puzzles. It’s become dumbed down, at the expense of loyal followers. It's just wrong. Listener solvers' mean age is 60+. That isn't changing, even with Adele and Ed Sheeran themes. John Green’s bulging sack is all that seems to matter. I’ve compiled figures for the last few years, and every year there have been more introductory puzzles and fewer worthy of the name. Sad to see an institution in such decline.

As an American Anglophile, and with all the love, gratitude and respect in my heart for this series and its setters, I believe that the scope of Listener themes might be underselling Britain’s proud history and achievements. Can another Dambusters puzzle be far behind? A return to the well of Flanders & Swann? I shouldn’t complain - I won a Chambers for a puzzle based on a Morecambe & Wise sketch that recently resurfaced.

I hope my comment is taken in the lighthearted spirit in which it is intended (please delete if otherwise) - I very much enjoyed the puzzle.

Very easy today. Interesting to learn something about the collector, but that's about it I'm afraid.

Totally agree with the comments by smellyharry, dodgepot and rhsl - I do not understand how including several easy Listeners is supposed to tempt people to continue. It either leads people to believe that it presents no serious challenge and look elsewhere or, when a true listener appears, will totally dishearten those who thought otherwise.

I just checked in to this site to see if my feeling that this was an unusually easy puzzle (always hoping unlikely sudden brain improvement) and saw the complaints about The Times IT department, which stimulated me to add my dissatisfaction. I have been trying to gain access to the ‘special’ podcasts for subscribers since November. There is nothing wrong with my system, have performed all the tests they requested, but clearly a simple setting their end which excludes me. Considering the cost of the subscription this is very annoying.

I enjoyed this, so thank you to Almasti. I learned something new and was able to get through it during a very short weekend (I returned from a business trip late on Friday night and am off on the next one on Sunday morning). I’m just glad it wasn’t a Sabre!

A few parsing queries as usual but I’ll keep working away on them…