Solving time about 20 mins. I didn't actually get around to this until I was on the way home from work last night, started it quite late in the journey and finished it when I got home. I couldn't make head or tail of 1D at first, but it eventually went in once I had most of the checkers in place. I probably spent another 15 minutes on it this morning trying to parse it, but got there in the end. So many red herrings in that one clue! The rest was fairly standard Saturday fare, above average difficulty but not a real stinker.
| Across |
| 1 | TITANIC - IT (appeal) inside TA (Territorial Army, reserve) + NIC(e) (endlessly agreeable). |
| 5 | DEFECT - double definition. |
| 8 | LOST CAUSE - ACTS (turns) reversed, inside LOUSE (contemptible type). |
| 9 | REACH - RE (referring to) + BACH (composer) without the B for British. |
| 11 | VOILE - VILE (mean) around O(ver). |
| 12 | IRREGULAR - (urge)* inside (liar)*, + R(ight). |
| 13 | NORMALLY - NO (drama) + RALLY (race) around M(illions). |
| 15 | SCLERA - odd letters of so-called + R.A. (artist). |
| 17 | EMBARK - MARK (spot) around B(ishop), all after E(cumenical). |
| 19 | SHEPHERD - PH (measure of acidity) inside SHEER (stark) + (fiel)D. |
| 22 | INAUGURAL - I + NAG (worry) around U(ranium), + URAL (river). |
| 23 | PLATO - LA (note) inside PTO (instruction at bottom of page). |
| 24 | TIGON - GO (try) inside TIN (metal). |
| 25 | VERMILION - OIL (paint) reversed inside VERMIN (pests). |
| 26 | LAMENT - LAME (weak) + N.T. (religious books). |
| 27 | CYPRESS - C(omed)Y + PRESS (force). |
| Down |
| 1 | TELEVANGELIST - I (one) + LEG (stage) + NAVEL (central point), all reversed inside TEST (screen). It probably took me longer to parse that than it took to solve the puzzle! |
| 2 | TASTIER - T(ime) + AS (since) + TIER (row). |
| 3 | NICHE - C(ent) + HE (man), after NI (nickel). |
| 4 | CRUCIBLE - R(esistance) inside (ice club)*. |
| 5 | DREARY - DRY (drain) around EAR (attention). |
| 6 | FORAGE CAP - FOP (dandy) around [RAGE (passion) + CA (circa, about)]. |
| 7 | CHARLIE - CHAR (burn) + LIE (invention). |
| 10 | HARE AND HOUNDS - (odd hush near an)*. Something similar to what we used to call "paper chase" apparently. |
| 14 | ARROGANCE - (organ, care)* |
| 16 | CHOLERIC - CLERIC (minister) around HO (call for attention). |
| 18 | BHANGRA - HANG (drop) inside BRA (support). Indian pop music. |
| 20 | EXAMINE - AXE (cut) reversed + MINE (supply). |
| 21 | TRIVET - STRIVE (fight) minus the first letter, + T (middle letter of captain). |
| 23 | PRIMP - PR (pair) + IMP (naughty child). |