Cryptic crossword No 629

Spoilers and background information in the Reply. Only look if you’ve finished or given up!

Thanks Henri, lots to enjoy and a bicely worked theme ... (spoilers follow)

Hi Henri. I have no idea how folk cope using their mobiles for setting and solving on a regular basis! Needs must - I’m enjoying a glass of wine overlooking the Grand Canal and managed to do your puzzle but I’m not going to try to give proper feedback here. Suffice to say, I solved it all and enjoyed it. A few quibbles - Fez has done the job on much of that - so, for now - I’ll just say many thanks for a very pleasant distraction! PM

Henri, thanks, and great to see an entertaining and timely tribute to this theme. Cruciverbal spoilers follow……

I'm always impressed by anyone who can create a convincing themed puzzle. But I watch very little TV, and had never heard of these shows. I solved a fair bit but had to go to the excellently annotated solutions for the rest. One point not yet made: the 14 clues in NE and SW corners only link to the rest of the grid by a single letter. That's a lot, and not helpful if you are struggling to get a foothold. I clearly wasn't on your wavelength but kudos all the same for weaving all these in.

I'm only very vaguely aware of the two TV programmes so didn't realise there was any theme. Now I've read the comments I have to give you a thumbs up for managing to fit so many themed answers into the grid, must have been quite an effort.

Very enjoyable! One quibble and one thing I found amusing in comments...

Thanks Henri, I enjoyed that. A really impressive number of theme words crammed in here and it has whet my appetite for tonight’s finale!

Nice one Henri - thanks! I’m a big fan of the original show (although only got part-way through the spin-off - must go back to it). And yet I still managed to totally miss the theme. I swear I could miss the theme if every solution was a member of my family! Thankfully others have raised any quibbles that I may have mustered so I just need to pick some favourites: 5A, 12A, 28A, 29A, 6D, 7D, 9D and 18D.