| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | INCISE | |
| Cut segments from CSI, NCIS etc (6) | csI NCIS Etc | |
| 4 | ACADEMIC | |
| A person studying a rat and mutated mice (8) | A + CAD + anagram of MICE | |
| 9 | SAMOA | |
| Small NZ bird once spread around a Pacific island group (5) | (S + MOA) outside A | |
| 10 | CERTAINLY | |
| Crate repacked by one and left in New York for sure (9) | Anagram of CRATE + I + (L inside NY) | |
| 11 | CHANCEL | |
| Opening large part of a church reserved for the clergy and choir (7) | CHANCE + L | |
| 12 | IMPASTO | |
| I am after origin of old painting (7) | IM + PAST + (O)ld | |
| 13 | RIOT | |
| One involved in corruption and wild behaviour (4) | I inside ROT | |
| 14 | CIRCINUS | |
| Fun show plugged by popular group of stars (8) | CIRCUS outside IN | |
| 17 | TACITURN | |
| Act I, reviewed before performance, is withdrawn? (8) | Anagram of ACT I + TURN | |
| 19 | DEAN | |
| Study divided up by a school head (4) | DEN outside A | |
| 22 | NECKTIE | |
| Kitchen tea informally presented without hat and formalwear (7) | Anagram of KITCHEN TEA minus HAT | |
| 24 | EARBASH | |
| Roving bear has to chew the fat constantly (7) | Anagram of BEAR HAS | |
| 25 | ECONOMIST | |
| Government adviser possibly organised fraud with nothing in troubled times (9) | (CON + O) inside anagram of TIMES | |
| 26 | TRIPS | |
| Helpful information about river expeditions (5) | TIPS outside R | |
| 27 | TIDINESS | |
| Order and sit around eating lunches, say? (8) | SIT reversed outside DINES | |
| 28 | CLOSED | |
| Compact kernel of Windows shut down (6) | CLOSE + win(D)ows | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | INSECURE | |
| Nice user, treated badly, is not adequately protected (8) | Anagram of NICE USER | |
| 2 | COME ABOUT | |
| Happen to change tack (4,5) | Double Definition | |
| 3 | SCARCE | |
| Electrical capacitance, somewhere in housing of alarm, is hard to find (6) | C inside SCARE | |
| 5 | CARDIAC ARREST | |
| Coaches holding assistant up, before time out, with heartfelt problem? (7,6) | (CAR + CAR) outside (AID reversed) + REST | |
| 6 | DEADPAN | |
| Straight-faced head of college soaking up commercial pressure (7) | DEAN outside (AD + P) | |
| 7 | MINIS | |
| Small cars try leaving the church (5) | MINISTRY minus TRY | |
| 8 | CEYLON | |
| Tea that’s brewed, noticeably lacking a bit (6) | Anagram of NOTICEABLY minus A BIT | |
| 10 | CALLISTHENICS | |
| “Buzz” in chest is corrected with exercises (13) | CALL + anagram of IN CHEST IS | |
| 15 | SCENARIOS | |
| Plans from Rio found in wrecked Cessna (9) | RIO inside anagram of CESSNA | |
| 16 | ENTHUSED | |
| The abridged application, listed in conclusion, is inspired (8) | [(TH)e + USE] inside END | |
| 18 | CUT DOWN | |
| Duct, repositioned by individual, fell (3,4) | ANagram of DUCT + OWN | |
| 20 | IN DEBT | |
| Owing money, independent arranged bet (2,4) | IND + anagram of BET | |
| 21 | BRUTAL | |
| Unsweetened ale mostly is beastly (6) | BRUT + (AL)e | |
| 23 | CROWD | |
| Assembly line packed in music collection (5) | ROW inside CD |
