Across:
   1. Balmoral? Botham played there! (10)
   6. Little drink for child (3)
   8. Such lights may appear in the sky at either end of night, essentially where sun close (8)
   9. A merc, a crash... just what a paparazzo needed (6)
  10. Song in the meadow turning in the air (6)
  11. Little drink for pet if air is bad (8)
  12. Goes without ecstasy, but has a bit to drink and tells tales (7)
  14. It's not often when models put out (6)
  15. Using some zigzag rebates, Ibler gave buildings here a new look (6)
  17. Spray, say, gone astray (7)
  20. Labours tortured verses about delicate heart (8)
  21. Negotiate when more bereft of money? (6)
  22. Type of chord using left hand for volume (6)
  23. Get back, i.e. revert to original positions (8)
  24. see 6 down
  25. At sea, rum becomes problematic (10)
Down:
   1. 1 across 24 8 7 10 20, initially flying 100 years ago (6)
   2. Beheaded those guarding the openings (7)
   3. Magic break (5)
   4. Plants one in voids (7)
   5. Comes down wing, passes around (9)
   6,24ac,19. The 18 regular characters of trio mob: Silly, Learned & Garbaged Meek (3, 4 3 6)
   7. Country's grave fear: catching it before end of holiday (9)
  12. With captain missing, actual game went badly for Carlos Ruiz's team (9)
  13. Very silly cycle (BMX?) crashed, with three individuals on board incurring variable losses (9)
  16. Admired core group, forever edgy (7)
  17. No saint, taking liquor in futile hope of feeling better (7)
  18. Sloppy stuff passes for defence against Villains (7)
  19. see 6 down
  21. Clean cut combat hero (5)