As a newcomer to Listeners (this is my 6th attempt & 4th completed), I found this really enjoyable. Some clues were easy & proved sufficient to hook me in, but others were taxing and, as ever, I was introduced to new meanings of familiar words (always enjoyable). As others have said, once the 8&9s were sorted, the grid fill could begin and, like many, this was when things started happening more quickly. I am, perhaps, a little younger (34) than many who have been completing the Listener for decades and, from a generational perspective, I might have slightly less of a problem in using the internet as a source of information (within limits, of course). I therefore enjoyed the theme which I felt was fun, interesting and topical! I suppose the bottom line is....do the setters of Listeners still expect solvers to be armed solely with a pile of good quality reference books, or have they moved with the technological times and accept that many of us will use Google (along with Chambers et al) to help us locate sources of information? Thanks Kruger - I really enjoyed the challenge.