C ROSSWORD

No 1,553 £500 TO BE WON

TO ENTER Complete the crossword and count how many times the letter ‘A’ appears in the grid. Text YOU followed by a space, your answer (the number of ‘A’s) and name to 65700, eg, YOU 9 Sue Smith. Texts cost £1 plus your standard network rate. Or telephone 0905 652 2141 and leave your answer and details. Calls cost £1 plus your telephone company’s network access charge. Or post your entry to YOU Crossword No 1,553, PO Box 3451, Norwich NR7 7NR. Entries will be accepted until 11.59pm on Friday 11 August. One random winner from all correct entries will win £250 and five runners-up will win £50 each. If you enter after the closing date you will not be included but may still be charged. Phone and text helpline: 0808 272 0808. Winners will be notified by phone within 14 days. Solution in two weeks.

ACROSS

8 (and 19 across) The creator and one of the stars of 13, 18 down (8,8) 9 Odd (6) 10 Late singer known as The King (5,7) 11 The characters played by 8, 19 across and 25 across, 5 down in 13, 18 down have very loose ones! (6)

12 Devastate, destroy (3,5)

14 In short, an American sandwich shop (4)

15 Country in Northeast Africa which is around 90 per cent desert (5)

17 Delicate, yielding (4) 19 See 8 across 23 Improvises (2-4)

24 Without any limit of time (12)

25 (and 5 down) One of the stars of 13, 18 down (6,6)

26 Pay up (5,3)

DOWN

1 Bravo! (4,4)

2 Written request to come to a party (10)

3 Descriptive of skiing on virgin snow off the regular runs (3-5)

4 Trouble, suffering (6) 5 See 25 across 6 Impose (as a tax) (4)

7 Lebanese capital (6)

13 (and 18 down) British TV sitcom and 2016 film that began 25 years ago this November (10,8) 16 Apprentices (8) 18 See 13 down 20 Name by which Britain or England is poetically known (6)

21 Enchant, charm (6) 22 Least risky (6) 24 Pubs, taverns (4)

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD NO 1,551