Colossal Crossword

ACROSS

1 Television presenters of current affairs… (11) 7 … and earth-based, like a standard transmission system (11) 12 Young hen (5) 13 Examination (4) 15 Explode (5)

16 Bid welcome (5) 17 Practise boxing (4) 19 Surplus (5) 20 Aircraft shed (6) 21 Demonstrate (4) 23 Vend (4) 25 Medicinal cure (6) 28 Nuclear plant (7) 29 Invade (7) 32 Afterwards (5) 33 Awkward, clumsy (5)

34 Perform

surgery (7) 37 Maybe (7)

39 Dog with droopy ears (7) 41 Braying animal (6) 42 Throng, horde (4)

44 Per individual (4) 46 Quick nap (6) 49 Cowboy’s hat (7) 50 Secret agent (3) 51 Used to be (3) 53 Wrestle (7) 55 Small orchard (5) 56 Hang in the air (5)

57 Go backwards (7) 58 Haul on a rope (3) 60 Weep (3) 61 Broke free (7) 62 Rough drawing (6) 64 Addition symbol (4) 66 Moral obligation (4) 67 Gazed (6)

70 Row of joined houses (7) 71 Cockerel (7) 73 Coal bucket (7) 75 — Babies, Carnegie Medal-winning book by Anne Fine (5) 77 Stroll (5)

79 Army officer (7)

81 Railway plank (7) 84 Larger (6)

85 A Knight’s —, 2001 medieval adventure-comedy film (4)

87 Electronic

bleep (4)

89 Pretext (6)

91 Tempest (5)

92 Female relation (4) 93 Irritate (5)

95 Honorary

name (5)

97 Ale (4)

98 On no

occasion (5)

99 Factual television

programme… (11) 100 … and adverts that pay for some programmes (11)

DOWN

1 Nick (5)

2 Red hair colour (6) 3 Craggy hill (3) 4 Proportion (5) 5 Novel segment (7) 6 Astrology sign following Libra (7) 8 Bird of prey (5) 9 Regret (3) 10 Planet (6) 11 Truck (5) 14 Shakespearean poem (6)

18 Gratify (6)

21 Curse (5)

22 Silent —, BBC crime

drama series (7) 23 Spire (7)

24 Chuckle (5)

26 Unable to see (5) 27 Unmetred

literature (5)

30 Buffalo (5)

31 No longer

fresh (5)

35 Wed (5) 36 Tendon (5) 38 Televised conversation with a celebrity (9) 40 Style of on-going television drama (4, 5) 43 Pressurised dispenser (7) 45 Nunnery (7) 47 Heavenly being (5) 48 Concur (5)

49 Polite form of address (3) 50 Collection (3) 52 Timid (3) 54 Howards —, novel by E M Forster (3)

59 Fret (5) 60 Artificial water channel (5) 62 Personnel (5) 63 Spicy dish (5) 65 Peculiar (7) 66 Pudding (7) 68 Put one’s foot down? (5)

69 Cheaper by the —, 2003 comedy film starring Steve Martin (5) 72 Lacking in stature (5) 74 General topic (5) 76 On the — of Species, scientific work by Charles Darwin (6)

78 Girl’s shirt (6) 80 Tanned hide (7) 81 Hone, whet (7) 82 1978 hit film starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John (6) 83 Thin timber overlay (6) 84 Lacking flavour (5) 86 Wedding cake section (5) 88 Excel (5) 90 Makes an income (5) 94 Mesh (3)

96 Male cat (3)