Across:
8 Row (row/line = COLUMN) in the paper (COLUMN),
9 Alive (ANIMATED) to what 3 down did (“animator” ANIMATED),
10 One (I-) starts damage limitation exercises (starts/first letter of “damage limitation exercises” = -DLE) (IDLE) when one has nothing better to do (IDLE),
11 Don’t put up any obstacles (MAKE IT EASY) to produce (MAKE) one (I-) Yeats’ (Yeats = -T EASY) play (= anagram indicator) (MAKE IT EASY)
12 Type of humour (DRY humour) on The Hill (tor = ROT) reflects (= reversal indicator) (DRY ROT) problem in some neck of the woods perhaps (DRY ROT),
14 Study group (WORKSHOP) with Labour’s (labours = WORKS-) Spring (-HOP) (WORKSHOP),
15 Chap (MAN-) is not completely (g) brave (“daring” without “g” = -DARIN) at takeaway (CHINESE) (MANDARIN CHINESE), in a manner of speaking (MANDARIN CHINESE),
18 Most of (l) spring (“well” without “l” = WEL-) arrives (-COMES) (WELCOMES) with several hails (WELCOMES),
20 Uses up the budget (SPENDS) for writer (-PEN-) and director (-D-) in Titanic, for example (RMS Titanic steamship = S-S) (SPENDS),
22 Contempt (DISRESPECT) in crushing (= anagram indicator) spiders, etc. (spiders etc = DISRESPECT),
24 Exposé (NEWS) of modern (NEW-) school (-S) (NEWS),
25 Just (VIRTUOUS) in Trim (trim/cut “e”) – nobility (“virtue” without “e” = VIRTU-) central to House (central to “House” = -OUS) (VIRTUOUS),
26 Looking back (= reversal indicator), the foreign (the = el = -LE) method for measuring ratio (body mass index = BMI = -IMB-) by Newton (N-) (NIMBLE) is a quick one (NIMBLE).
Down:
1 Referee (Ref = F-ER) retires (= reversal indicator) over senior (-OLD-) (FOLDER) dossier (FOLDER),
2 Stick (FUSE) in rooms away from foursomes (“rooms” away from “foursomes” = fuse = FUSE),
3 Why is brute (animal) not finished (l) (“animal” without “l” = ANIMA-) with Tory (Tory) for the most part? (y) (“Tory” without “y”? = -TOR) (ANIMATOR) Does he have to draw you a picture! (ANIMATOR),
4 Some suburban kingdom (some “suburban kingdom” = BANK) could be a place of interest (BANK),
5 That could be straightened out better (TIDIER) as ref left terrified (“ref” left “terrified” = triied = TIDIER),
6 Cracks (MAKES SENSE) in builds (MAKES) on site (“site” = “sight” = SENSE) report (= homophone indicator (MAKES SENSE),
7 US uses no (US uses no = SENSUOUS) building (= anagram indicator) that’s aesthetically pleasing (SENSUOUS),
13 Hand out medals again (REDECORATE) to revolutionary (RED-), engineer (-E-), officer (commanding officer = -CO-) and judge (-RATE) (REDECORATE),
14 They’re drunk (WINES) in all directions (west, north, east, south = W-NES) around the institute (-I-) (WINES),
16 Turns up (= reversal indicator), Timothy (Tim = -MIT) at one (-I-) stage (leg = -GE L-) had a (A-) (AGE LIMIT) ceiling that was restrictive to the youngsters, for example (AGE LIMIT),
17 Blowing hot and cold (HESITANT) in Athens? It (Athens it = HESITANT) is wrong! (= anagram indicator),
19 Frenchman (Monsieur = M-) on course (-ASCOT) (MASCOT) has a reputation for being lucky with the followers (MASCOT),
21 Take one’s time (DAWDLE) with bundle (wad = DAW-) returning (= reversal indicator) from Donegal (-DL-) to Spain (-E) (DAWDLE),
23 Garment coming out of East Germany (“Garment” coming out of “East Germany” = seay = EASY) for child’s play? (EASY),
24 Turnover (= reversal indicator), initially made (initially “made” = -M-) in type of bakery (bun = NU-B) (NUMB), is frozen (NUMB).