Cryptic crossword No 2,196

Happy New Year Gollum - it’s good to see you back here. I enjoyed trying to piece this together over a couple of sittings. Just needed a few reveals in the end and a little parsing help from your notes. Lots of ingenious stuff. Podium: 27a, 5d and 23d. Spoilers …

Thanks Gollum. I managed to get most of this after a few fits and starts. Top picks: 22a, 26a, and 9d. More in reply.