2134: Mere letters

Each unclued across light can be paired with a down one (one hyphened). Each member of a pair is an anagram of a name, the two names being linked and the link being the same in each case. The title suggests a sixth such pair. Elsewhere, ignore an apostrophe.
 

Across

Most popular

Patrick West

Sam Fender is right about white privilege

1 Woeful four bond and hoe soldier’s grave (11, three words)
7 Jack reduced weight (3)
13 Punch is sick in bag (7, two words)
15 Practising classy madrigal? (5)
16 Autocrat bridges southern canyon (5)
17 Fresh and bracing Australian skating endlessly? (6)
18 Birds seen fluttering round rook (5)
22 Hairdresser in lift wearing mink? (7)
30 Time to manage somersaults in this year (6)
32 Doctor and nurse, neglecting hospital, play (5)
34 Special is able to follow court examination (6,two words)
36 Arabian soprano is in lift … (5)
37 … beginning to go down (5)
38 Singularly decent lass, ultimately fragrant (7)
39 Second marriage? She’s plucky (6)
40 Sheep less shorn (3)
41 Judge, curt and cross, is a tricky proposition (11, two words)
 

Down

1 South African hugs hard one active, doubly fine, anti-Nazi (10)
3 Joyfully and loudly, Elvis yet rocks (9)
4 Growth of a type of short root imp tweaked (12)
5 Perhaps the Queen rules over France? Wrong (7)
6 Wine among wares in a taverna? (8)
7 Crack cut diamonds flash (5)
9 Papa captures zero (his chess is poor) (6)
10 Lassie ascending a ravine (5)
12 Nervous in English den of vice … (6)
14 … alas, prim Poms grossly misused words (12)
19 Obsolete sharks of any age die swimming south of Zambia (10)
21 A very long way from home, bishop missed organ (9, hyphened)
23 Grasping scholar kept a holy book (8)
24 Criminal tea lady short PC disarmed (8)
25 Unopened box I opened (6)
28 Horse kept by Italian inn (6)
33...