4091 Mind the Gap by Calmac

This was a welcome return for Calmac, whose last Listener Crossword was published in 1997. A fairly easy puzzle with some outstanding clues. The puzzle worked by entering two letters in cells in the central row. This allowed the phrase, “RECULER POUR MIEUX SAUTER” (draw back in order to leap better). This explained the “drawback” mentioned in the preamble. A three-cell gap in the line was indicated by the title.

Across
1 Business analyst outlined arrant broadcast about Italy (15, two words)
INTERNAL AUDITOR I (Italy) in Anagram OUTLINED ARRANT
12 Simple matter confused Baron in middle of Cinderella (9)
NO-BRAINER Anagram BARON + IN + (cind)ER(ella)
13 Article caught by dog, round ball, perhaps (5)
GONAD AN in DOG reversed!
15 Seat of justice in urban Clermont-Ferrand? (4)
BANC Hidden
16 Local's to complain peevishly with hesitant word about Scottish system of tenure
(6)
RUNRIG Reversal of GIRN + UR
17 Woman's anger about fragment that's broken off (5)
IRENE EN(d) in IRE
18 Serving dish usually, at first, found among eating utensils (6)
TUREEN U(sually) in TREEN
19 Muted pieces from Strauss or Donizetti (5)
SORDO Hidden
21 Drink up, showing no resistance (4)
ASTI ASTIR less R (resistance)
22 Bishop beset by enemies in Morayshire town (6)
FORRES RR in FOES
25 Author disregarding outer manifestations in religious observance (4)
RITE (w)RITE(r)
26 Backing instrument found in sack (4)
LOOT TOOL reversed
28 Manual workers relax endlessly after putting in time (4)
ETAS T in EAS(e)
30 Tree, one beside river (4)
ACER ACE + R
32 Shiny material can be in demand, mostly (6)
TINSEL TIN (can) + SEL(l)
34 Fine clergyman missing class (4)
ERIC (cl)ERIC
35 Lowdown about a regressive secret society (5)
TRIAD A in DIRT reversed
36 American business makes accountant laugh (6)
CAHOOT CA (Chartered Accountant) + HOOT
40 Perfunctorily execute former highwayman (5)
SCAMP 2 definitions
42 Result of washing crude rubber backing was worrying (6)
ELUATE ULE reversed + ATE (worried)
43 Language in America stopped by conquistadores at first (4)
INCA IN A (America) containing C(onquistadores)
44 Ecstasy and happiness cut short for fallen angel (5)
EBLIS E + BLIS(s
45 Instances of morbid hardening less sore when treated with infusion of calamine initially (9)
SCLEROSES C(alamine) in Anagram LESS SORE
46 Possibly she's chattier with pep talk producer? (15, two words)
SPEECH THERAPIST Anagram SHE’S CHATTIER + PEP
 
Down
1 Inappropriately revealing sins, intercedes for reform (13)
INDISCREETNESS Anagram SINS INTERCEDES
2 Principal herald of old turned up in Sanday or Ronaldsay (6)
NORROY Hidden reversed
3 Heart isn't regularly missing poetic country (4)
ERIN even letters hEaRt IsN’t
4 Scratch pair, not British (4)
RACE (b)race
5 Doctor hesitates to interrupt worker, perhaps one with important role in theatre (13)
ANAESTHETIST Anagram HESITATES in ANT
6 Slow, not finishing fast (4)
LENT LENT(o)
7 Parallel with a Catholic cleric deviously concealing involuntary reaction (13, two words)
ARCTIC CIRCLE TIC in A RC + Anagram CLERIC
8 Same old city - it's grim (4)
DOUR DO (ditto) + UR (old city)
9 Victor puts down women in private (5)
INNER WINNER less W (women)
10 Weight of empty vessel in Rome was once brought up (4)
TARE ERAT (= was in Latin) reversed
11 Pride store gets running secure delivery system (13, two words)
REGISTERED POST Anagram PRIDE STORE GETS
13 Nonsense about Rector sounding abrupt (5)
GRUFF R in GUFF
14 Blue with unblemished record consumes drug before game (7)
CERULEAN E (drug) + RU in CLEAN
15 Author's wife turned up holding old university qualification (5)
BLAIR LA in RIB reversed
20 Special measure overturned in provincial towns (4)
DORPS SP + ROD reversed
23 Plant that's relatively curious, not northern (4)
OSIER NOSIER less  N
24 One keen on standards maybe managed to retain old form of dress (7)
ROSARIAN O (old) SARI in RAN (managed)
25 Blush from girl initially entertained by debauchee (4)
ROUGE G(irl) in ROUÉ
26 Left wife to meet men in N African tourist centre (4)
LUXOR L + UX (wife) + OR (ordinary ranks)
27 Place of pilgrimage in Middle East about to receive first of converts (5)
MECCA C(onverts) in ME + CA (circa= about)
29 Reported delays producing fruit (5)
SLOES Homophone SLOWS
31 Some mail in book penned by novelist (6)
JAMBES B in JAMES
33 Town in Greater Manchester embraces hard rock (5)
SHALE H (hard) in SALE
37 A very stupid person wasting time in French department (4)
AUBE A (t)UBE
38 Middle part of ad relating to organ (4)
OTIC (n)OTIC(e)
39 Meadow beside water's edge (4)
INCH 2 definitions to inch = to edge
40 Lifted war representative's immunisation supplies (4)
SERA ARES reversed
41 Batch stored in microprocessor (4)
CROP Hidden