Across:
8 Foreign Office (BUREAU) is often against The Wall (dresser/chest = BUREAU),
9 Croaky (“hoarse” = “HORSE-”) on the radio (= homophone indicator) and on local television (-BOX) (HORSEBOX) in the trailer for Black Beauty (HORSEBOX),
10 Be generous (GIVE) backing up (= reversal indicator) some authoritative vignette (some ‘authoritativE VIGnette’ = e vig = GIVE),
11 Old test (Inter Cert exam = INTER-) for guys (-MEN-) consumed by good books (New Testament = -N-T) (INTERNMENT) in detention (INTERNMENT),
12 We are not in hot water (‘we’ are not in ‘hot water’ = hotatr = THROAT) finding the frog there (THROAT),
14 Writers (pens = PEN-S) around Charleston (dance) losing the head (c) (‘dance’ without ‘c’ = -ANCE-) (PENANCES) with acts of contrition (PENANCES),
15 Severely reprimand (GIVE SOMEONE HELL) 10 across (‘give’ = GIVE) for unnamed person (SOMEONE) from 23 down (‘hell’ = HELL) (GIVE SOMEONE HELL),
18 A (-A-) couple of Frenchmen (Messieurs = -MM-) in Press (press = SP-ERS) Box (= anagram indicator) (SPAMMERS) synonymous with The Mail no one wants (SPAMMERS),
20 Promoting (HYPING) secrecy coming from psychic energy (‘secrecy’ coming from ‘psychic energy’ = phingy = HYPING),
22 Relaxing place in Ring (CORNER in boxing ring) for some heading (‘some’ heading = S-) to dance (-HOP) (CORNER SHOP) open for business when others are not (CORNER SHOP),
24 Forbids (BARS) public houses serving drink (BARS),
25 It’s about (RE-) Health Check (medical) dismissing 100 (100 = Roman “C”) (“medical” dismissing “c” = medial = -MEDIAL) (REMEDIAL) – and that’s intended to cure the problem? (cure/remedy = REMEDIAL),
26 Tape (REC-) weekend (end of ‘week’ = -K-) broadcast (-ON-) (RECKON) of workout? (work out = RECKON).
Down:
1 Discipline (PUNISH) Press (push = PU-SH) covering Ulster (Northern Ireland = -NI-) (PUNISH),
2 Some cliché repeated (some ‘clicHE REpeated’ = HERE) in this place (HERE),
3 Half (CUT IN TWO) of Split (split = CUT IN TWO),
4 Part of the Mogadishu terminal (part of the ‘mogadiSHU Terminal’ = SHUT) is not open (SHUT),
5 Initial test (DRY RUN) of Prohibitionist (DRY) campaign (RUN) (DRY RUN),
6 What those going overseas need (SEAMANSHIP) for the main literary (‘the main’ literary = SEA-) manuscript (M-S) about article (-AN-) in Vogue! (in vogue/trendy = -HIP) (SEAMANSHIP),
7 Unreliable (= anagram indicator) romance (romance = CORNMEA-) language initially (‘language’ initially = -L) (CORNMEAL) could be mush? (CORNMEAL),
13 Willing to listen (OPEN-MINDED) to Frank (OPEN-) and Old Penny (-D-) head over heels (= reversal indicator) in denim (denim = MIN-ED) (OPEN-MINDED),
14 Contemporaries (‘peers’ = ‘PIERS’) heard (= homophone indicator) in The Quays (PIERS),
16 Goes here and there (-ROVES) after (= positional indicator) little devil (IMP-) (IMPROVES) gets back on his feet (IMPROVES),
17 Turns up (= reversal indicator), agent (rep = -PER-) in Soho (Soho = O-HO-S-) finds quarter (quarter/direction of a compass point = north = N-) (NO-HOPERS) of them with no chance (NO-HOPERS),
19 Listen secretly (EARWIG), going on ahead (on a head = -WIG) after (= position indicator) a sound type (EAR-) (EARWIG),
21 Not the first (‘not’ the first = N-) to lose the head (y) with Herb (‘yarrow’ = -ARROW) (NARROW) in a tight space (NARROW),
23 Thrilled to remove dirt (‘thrilled’ to remove ‘dirt’ = hlle = HELL) for the man downstairs (HELL),
24 Support (BACK) the position of one of those facing the strikers (football BACK).