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That was much more like the thing! Thanks to Pabulum.

Yes, nice to have a 'real' Spectator puzzle.

Phew! Quite the workout this week. The two authors in question are so often mixed up. It reminds me of a time I was in Waterstones and overheard a customer asking for “Heart of Darkness” by Jasper Conran.

Apropos names, I have to admit that part of me wanted to find “Gordon” in the grid…..

Jack, so did I - a fruitless hunt! (As was the one for Tony...)

You are not alone.

But good that Doc was able to put his feet up this week

I found “Mr”, the caretaker from Take Hart. (One for the Boomers there…)

Definitely worth the paper and ink this week.

I’ve been wondering how the setters choose their level of difficulty, or do they? Maybe Doc deliberately makes his offerings more accessible to appeal to some readers/new solvers while others aim at more seasoned solvers. I was interested that someone last week was happy with Doc and didn’t want to spend ages on a puzzle. Striking a point of difficulty that pleases everyone must be nigh on impossible.

Point well made. I think all of us obsessive cruciverbalists have an informal spectrum of puzzles ranging from the recreational to the all day challenge. The Spectator offerings cover a wide range, whereas others are more consistently at one end or the other.

I don’t always do this puzzle so can’t comment on relative difficulty, but when I saw some of the earlier comments I thought I would give it an go and thoroughly enjoyed this one. Some fun constructions and a few nice obscurities to chew on.
Thanks to Pabulum.