Nine unclued lights (with one doing double duty) can be arranged into a possible quiz show announcement with the word lengths: 2,4,3,7,6,3,7,7,2,4,2,4,4,2,4,5. The three remaining unclued lights are possible answers. Elsewhere, ignore one accent.
Across
4 Democracies do wrong without desserts (3,6)
9 English artist having month involved with 38 (6,4)
11 Evaluate report for show (5)
12 Colonist who pays the bill? (7)
14 German novelist from the Wiesbaden area (5)
15 Celaeno’s sister returning among school-leavers (5)
16 Foil, we hear, rose high (6)
21 Players participate in this match and event (4,4)
22 French artist’s entry (7)
23 Dutch artist escaped from Marshalsea (4)
25 Model from Ford suggesting theme (4)
28 Anne involved with a lot of recent arrivals (8)
33 So slim, dizzy and lithe (6)
34 Wine bar has nothing inside (5)
35 Charm Frenchman lost at race course (5)
37 Improve hospital in Cornish town with no separate parking zone (7)
38 They ignored poor, unhealthy Prussian lancer (5)
40 Pole loses ice, melting first in triangular form (9)
41 Hearts removed from fruit in school (5)
Down
1 Having made a religious transformation of scariest Hindi translation (13)
3 It allows smoke to escape from this museum (6)
4 Stop! I’m deep in trouble (6)
7 The key to sign up (5)
8 Most of lemon may be treated for bone marrow disease (7)
10 Cameron cryptically split (6,7)
13 Capital from TSB, say – about a grand that’s alright (7)
17 Court succeeded with headphone and 3-D image (2,4)
19 His is in stew pot (7)
26 Case with link to Spain (7)
29 1A troubled over small silver-lined nimbi (6)
32 Opponents embracing foremost Welshman (5)
36 Jail fence’s ultimate punishment (4)
Download a printable version here.
A first prize of £30 and two runners-up prizes of £20 for the first correct solutions opened on 21 April. Please scan or photograph entries and email them (including the crossword number in the subject field) to crosswords@spectator.co.uk, or post to: Crossword 2697, The Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP.
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