Cryptic crossword No 1,840

Hi all - sorry I haven't been on MC for quite a while (writer's block!). Have fun!

Loved this. Ludicrous. Shouldn't worth but you smashed it. I appreciated the more accessible clues providing a foothold to eventually get close to the 40-a-gram, and enjoyed its revelation when I got it. How long did it take to make??? I also really enjoyed the various uses of numbers, which kept me on my toes.

Hahaha the penny drop there was sublime! Kudos 👏 and I got it less than halfway through and it helped a lot. Apart from the magnificent long ‘un I liked 12a, 14a, 24a, 15d and 24d. Thanks!

Brilliant.

Welcome back to the madhouse, Laccaria! This one took me a while, but worth the wait. Apart from the giant one I particularly enjoyed 10a, 13a, 14a, 19a, 24a, 8d, 15d, 27d among others. A few tricky references and a couple of nhos slowed me down, but nothing significant to complain about. More please!

Nice to see you back, Laccaria. A very nice pdm when I finally twigged the long 'un. And very nice to see you found room for 24d. Thanks. PM

Thanks to all for the nice comments. As I said, I've been somewhat lacking in momentum lately, and prioritising the Indy hasn't helped as far as MyCrossword is concerned. I chose to put this one here since it's probably too outrageous for the said Other Place.... But I have one or two other themers, abandoned, half-finished: I ought to get back to them and maybe put something up here. No promises!

Here's a curious snippet of info I just picked up, regarding 26a. I (misleadingly) mention "Blur" in the clue, despite my next-to-nothing knowledge of rock and pop culture - but I decided to look them up. To my surprise, I discovered that one of the founder members, drummer Dave Rowntree, is now standing as our local Labour candidate in the forthcoming General Election - and he knocked on our door a few days ago (alas! we had to tell him we wouldn't vote for him, we're committed Greens).