The unclued lights consist of one author, two titles and four characters; ignore one accent. The titles (three words and five words) are pairs.

Across

6 50% caught in large-scale disease outbreak (8)
12 Get everyone out of Aleppo, due to lunatic taking over (10)
13 Rolls makes an impression (9)
14 Killer gets into motor car (4)
15 Wherein somehow I see the cold? (8, two words)
17 Vagrant’s absolutely not bonkers (5)
21 Eccentric work about witch being an old ass (11)
22 Isn’t conscious, so zones out (7)
24 Who supplies seashells essentially? (3)
26 Aim for boundary (3)
28 Geneticist analysed sockeye salmon, not finding mace so different (7)
33 Sink sailor at end of voyage (5)
35 Drug consumed by felines and bovines (8)
37 Finally you will weaken a bone (4)
38 Fabulous bird one computer tycoon debugs? (9)
39 Brief vintages beginning to taste like pastry? (10)
41 Pitch beside Southern hillside (5)

Down

1 Being offhand with danger in EastEnders? (8)
3 Great French writer mostly using English (4)
4 Permit to enter Colombia revoked for egg holder (6)
5 They prevent stern decree working (11)
9 Protract a scandal about Mr Musk? (8)
10 Place to trade silver in addition to sun flowers (9)
11 Where batsman is not getting runs in the end (5)
16 Masseur almost taking notes in stupid theological belief (11)
18 More than one circular cutting tool, say (3)
20 Can boat dance in the Caribbean? (9, two words)
23 Fool fabricated tutor’s MA (8)
25 Very old women being singular? (8)
27 Make gravadlax, say, as treatment for alcoholic? (7, hyphened)
28 Story in press (3)
30 Perhaps Kaliningrad’s expression of annoyance? (6)
31 United impressed by extravagantly diabolical deal-maker? (5)
32 What you might get from twenty-seven in three? (5)
36 Essential oil made by man from Essen? (4)

A first prize of £30 for the first correct solution opened on 13 April. There are two runners-up prizes of £20. Please note that until further notice entries should be clearly scanned or photographed and emailed to crosswords@spectator.co.uk and the dictionary prize will not be available. We will revert to postal entries when we have emerged from the coronavirus situation. Please allow six weeks for prize delivery.