In The Chair by Phylax
Narrative
Bizarrely, I've won! Watch television set: empty seat, with first of contestants on screen, approaching. "Name?" Attention required, wanting last round close to ideal. Get hard posers - saving skin, slips to some extent put right? Sound right. Expressionless, wise not showing one's beginning to relax...
Several solutions to numbered clues must be modified prior to entry in the grid; lengths given are for grid entries throughout. The unnumbered entries wholly or partly within the main grid are thematically linked and are individually clued in the narrative; these clues do not overlap or have superfluous words separating them. Solvers must deduce the five-word phrase to be entered on the top and bottom lines, the unchecked letters of which can be rearranged to form SO SAGE DON SAT. All entries are real words.
Across
5 Boss got covering removed from protective footwear (4)
7 Will's stocking small shop - love special finishing touch from Kate (8)
10 'Junior' judge being one thoroughly backward (6)
12 Short cut to the ground protects United fan (4)
13 Favoured man in black when wearing a different colour (9)
14 Sure about embracing unknown older person in Elizabethan theatre? (7)
16 I move rapidly to destroy resistance (8)
17 Defeat for men over radical expansion that isn't wanted (8)
20 Closed up shack in street before start of demolition (4)
23 Quiet fellow penning a note in style of rambling autobiographer (4)
24 Solitary quote about sandwiches couple found following do (4)
25 Abandoned well had a steeply sloping area around the rim (8)
26 Stokes curtailed slog, coming in to milk erratic spinner (8)
28 Prescribed slaughtering of animals that lady collided with in Canada on vacation (4)
30 Pistol taking out odd characters when running through this, possibly? (7, two words)
32 English league delayed by a muppet essentially having power to change decisions (9)
33 In Paris, goes for smoke (6)
34 Related to doing divinity in college, I'd messed around with a lot of ladies outside 8)
35 Notable merchant at sea like notable merchant on UK high streets? (4)
Down
1 In the same place lives long-legged water bird (4)
2 Soft parts male kissed amorously under female domination (9)
3 In Rome, it is so Italian to pinch rounded bottom (6, two words)
4 Tricksters once tormented the RAC over Sierra belonging to us (5)
5 Legendary poisoner regularly served pet curare as dog's breakfast (8)
6 Traditional medicine seldom utilizes nurses (4)
8 Practise taxidermy on duck, returning to check about bits left over (7)
9 Ancestor recalled not enjoying California quakes (5)
11 Sun tolerating use of bad language (4)
12 Tool used for cutting nettles dislodging gnome's head (7)
15 In Perth, noisy row that is holding up introduction of runner (6)
18 Pedant dismissing conclusion of this puzzle (7)
19 Dates with debs unfolded here? (9)
21 Slow about quitting Conservative chatline, perhaps? (8)
22 Convoluted rule presented in full depth (7)
27 With boozer unfinished, opening for nocturnal opportunist theft (6)
28 Mollusc shell she's left amongst haul (4)
29 This country air could make Parisian dizzy (5)
30 From Japan, a huge upright drinking vessel (5)
31 Small change over in South America (4)
To enter this competition, send your entry as an image or in list format including the 5 word phrase to ccpuzzles@talktalk.net before 8th September 2020. The first correct entry drawn from the hat will receive a book from the Chambers range, which has been donated by Chambers.
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