Two unclued lights provide a position and a location (three words). Another entry indicates what happened to the seven unclued holders of the position, to be entered thematically.

Across

11    Syrup medicine adult ingests initially, overcome by affliction (10)

13    Insure bad developing made town-like (9)

16    Measure between sets of factories – it’s extremely close (7)

17    Guts required to initiate in advance (7)

19    Ordering a police car is premature (10)

21    Body of swimmers left last (5)

24    Suppressed number of French reportedly (4)

27    Tease out extremities curled up at the end (4)

28    Woody’s very pale (5)

30    One in fur coat might suggest East End’s warmer to Kate? (5,5)

33    Soliloquy with hidden meaning is occasionally found (3)

35    Two women heard somewhere in Iberia (7)

36    Kenyan city’s business qualifications are once more to the fore (7)

37    Horatio Walpole’s state (4)

38    Asian herd wandering for a month (4,5)

39    Fantastic author copied revolving desolate land (5-5)

40    College caterer provides dish that’s ’eavy (7)

Down

2 This sharpens sound under frets (8)

3 Short walker about to mince briefly in stages (6)

4 Hardy heroine, sick or inside is one with needle? (9)

6 Will’s descendent seen around school of painting (8)

7 The Spanish elevate jazz composer (5)

8 Scottish corporations’ rumours to test public opinion (5)

9 Incite literary reformation – a trait of the Spectator crossword? (14)

10    Sultanate reported tea nearby (6)

14    Ruins speech of King (6)

20    Tender includes loan machine to finish cloth here? (9)

25    Flower is dear, clearly (8)

26    Flasher apparent in finest robes (6)

29    Former mission operated in outskirts of Ecuador, deserted (6)

31    Showed disapproval, cried eyes out! (6)

32    To affect old Latin, I love Virgil’s Eclogues principally (5)

34    Kuenssberg say, left with distinctive character (5)

35    For a century plant area grew soft (5)

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A first prize of a £30 John Lewis voucher and two runners-up prizes of £20 vouchers for the first correct solutions opened on 28 September. 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 2769, The Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP. Please allow six weeks for prize delivery.