Two unclued lights are a title (three words) and its creator (two words). Remaining unclued lights are four names and eight titles (either singly or paired, including two each of two, three and four words and one of five words), each name being associated with two of the titles. The theme word connecting them all must be highlighted in the grid.
Across
11 Skill securing character hard food (5)
16 Bishop leaves drunkenly with flowing movement (6)
17 Gently affected superiority in card game (5)
19 Husband loves wrong clothes? It’s a cert (4-2)
20 I hear it reformed Athletic Club once (8)
21 Decorative material put round tree lacking width (6,4)
22 Cola drunk with speed was iridescent (9)
25 Bring up hem on coat of flannel (6)
26 See firm about to block fuel cut (7)
31 Greatest cake for famous caveman? (3,4)
36 Hint of pain women suppressed (5)
37 Heavyweight punching pilot directly (2,4)
40 Cattle each in early development stage (4)
44 Part of garment, in subfusc year-round (4)
45 Take in charges and return to take up land (4-6)
48 Parasites run through purple fruit (5)
50 Erica’s releasing queen’s butterflies (6)
52 Place to eat jam (4)
55 Performers playing sitar, band from east (8)
57 Ore containing old blue dye (4)
58 It aims to change workers’ committee (6)
60 Gunners in Greek island (5)
62 Translate in Italian club and cafe chain (9)
66 Losing face, angry in manner (4)
69 Key passage on the radio (4)
70 Rebel, receiving appeal, left fortress (7)
72 Wood suppliers, rookies wanting English supply (6)
75 French royal seal set awry (7)
78 Monks on large ruminants (6)
84 Sort of cake in holy book (6)
88 Ride off during tumult in haste (9)
89 Old lady is able to enter place of worship, a heavenly circle (10)
90 They assess current in stream flowing round setter (8)
92 Cockney recovering in part of London (6)
93 Itinerants mislaying money and belongings (5)
94 Most able in a piano exam (6)
95 Washes, say, in a dish periodically (5)
Down
2 Warmer temperature in dance not long past (8)
4 Yachting group’s rug (3)
5 Laurel’s family member has season with president (9)
6 About to stop small amount getting weighed (5)
7 Speaker, flipping little bounder, entertaining cad (6)
8 German article about X-ray for membrane (5)
9 Composer, Asian, penning line (4)
10 It’s put on e.g. Oxford building with nothing in (5)
13 Irishman in part of UK by a pair of loughs (5)
14 Take blockage out of a foreign footwear item (6)
18 Kind to give away last shilling in cash (6)
23 Spot, we hear, and encourage echinoderm (3,3)
27 Peter Rabbit at first more cautious (5)
29 One with zeal bats in the Ashes (5)
32 Are e.g. workers grasping chapter in kids’ books? (6)
34 Five soldiers past gulf (6)
35 Lamb pieces, say, easy to cook without steamer (6)
36 Forest ridge within salt marsh’s tip (4,4)
39 Emperor, king and earl on gravel ridges (6)
41 Observe leaderless scouting mission (4)
42 Scheme to keep note in part of typewriter (6)
43 Fish and meat rejected by prophets (8)
46 With energy, oddly rival 49’s spirit (6)
51 Grave with 500 bones (6)
53 New steel frames very shapely (6)
54 In Scotland, many fit to hold scripture (6)
56 Foreign characters in lederhosen (4)
59 Legally revoke answer by judge (5)
61 Laugh about young child’s Scottish interjection (5)
63 Offer by Parisian is most kind (9)
64 Spain developed prime chemical compound (6)
67 Unity round Emperor? (8)
68 Lose pants, wearing cape without feature (8)
71 Carry away Roman coin and wine (6)
74 Northern town, kind seen on line (6)
76 Provider of nuts and French bread, mostly dry (6)
79 Publicist, lunatic wasting millions (5)
80 Don’t lie – it’s what politicians do in elections (5)
82 Revolving entrance on earth floor (5)
83 Scottish fool in America raised speed (5)
85 Case of say umpteenth instrument (5)
86 Glaswegian’s dye from German wood (4)
87 Irritation from problem, scratching head (4)
91 Irish drink from river (3)
A first prize of £100, three prizes of £25 and six further prizes of Eliot’s Book of Bookish Lists by Henry Eliot (Penguin) will be awarded for the first correct solutions opened. The first four winners will each also receive a bottle of champagne. Email entries by 16 January to crosswords@spectator.co.uk, with ‘Christmas Crossword’ in the subject field, or post to: Christmas Crossword, The Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP. Please include a phone number. This is to arrange delivery if you win champagne.
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