Nine characters who shared a location appear as the unclued lights (one of two words, one of three). Solvers must shade the surname of the person who wrote about them (five letters).

Across

4 Mistakenly re-applied to group of fliers (11)

11    Tall palms occasionally covered by quotes for extinct plants (9)

13    Sadly ageing Hon. MP using amplifier (11)

14    Part of loge exhibiting curve (4)

18    African scraps untruths about software programme (7)

22    Hurry or finally walk back for Reykjavik’s bread (6)

24    Methodically search ordinary little band (5)

27    Stretch of time limiting energy to wean bairn (5)

29    New things in information about outskirts of icehouse (6)

34    Nibble ends of snack, green fruit with crisp flesh (7)

35    Fully developed including one number for entire orchestra (7)

38    Succeeded following past side issues (3)

39    Rebuke comrades heading west (4)

40    Strange PhD loathing for having tendency to combine vowels (11)

41    Some Ayrshire potatoes put into new container (5)

42    Garfish, immature black one (5-4)

43    Cunningly detects rare plan kept from public knowledge (5,6)

Down

1 Spiral ornaments namely creations supporting cylindrical moulding (11)

3 Camper heard instruction to buy knapsack and amusingly got this (8,3)

5 Honourably discharged people; troubled dons removed from perverse modernities (7)

7 Storehouses of French earthenware containers (6)

8 Saw once posh car encased in lead (7)

9 Partly lost one’s body firmness (4)

10    Bird call, essentially loud and unknown on English lake (4,5)

15    Scrap surprisingly brief in pets’ welfare group (5)

16    Deviously stole clip-on stringed instruments’ bridges (11)

20    More lavish surroundings taking in revenue administrator (9)

21    Being units of measurement (3)

25    Things beyond hope of recovery, no good for experts (5)

28    Blackball boundlessly better lab equipment (7)

30    Team regularly reported undistinguished board (7)

36    In the Big Apple now and then banning butter (5)

37    Frustrated exclamations over wearing footwear (4)

Download a printable version here.

A first prize of a £30 John Lewis voucher and two runners-up prizes of £20 vouchers for the first correct solutions opened on 2 November. Please photograph entries and email them (including the crossword number in the subject field) to crosswords@spectator.co.uk, or post to: Crossword 2774, The Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP.