Across:
8 Church (-CH-) in place (lie = LI-E-) that’s not on top (‘Not’ on top = -N) (LICHEN) of mossy growth (LICHEN),
9 Corrupt (= anagram indicator) director (director = CREDITOR) is owed money (CREDITOR),
10 Large scale story (EPIC) of those revolting (= reverse indicator) characters on the borders of Cinemascope (characters on the borders of ‘CInemascoPE’ = cipe = EPIC),
11 Connect (INTERWEAVE) fuse? (INTERWEAVE),
12 Three goals (TREBLE) for the sound engineer to turn around (TREBLE),
14 Prepares crafty types (DOCKYARD) in court (DOCK-) and in prison (-YARD) (DOCKYARD),
15 One of those taking a chance, on balance (TIGHTROPE WALKER), on The Wire (TIGHTROPE WALKER),
18 French (F-), German and Austrian states (German and Austrian states = Länder = -LANDER-) providing direction (South = -S) (FLANDERS) in the Low Countries (FLANDERS),
20 Class (LESSON) of Gael from Los Angeles? (‘Gael’ from ‘Los Angeles’ = losnes = LESSON),
22 Broadcast (aired =AIR -ED) bandleader (‘Band leader’ = -B-) from Rush (-RUSH-) (AIRBRUSHED) and Altered Images (AIRBRUSHED),
24 In defending Leningrad (in ‘defendinG LENingrad = GLEN) from narrow valley (GLEN),
25 An ursine scratcher (BEAR CLAW) in Carry (BEAR) on Cleo is fairly (half of) (half of ‘CLeo’ = CL-) awful from the start (‘Awful’ from the start = -A-) to begin with (begin ‘With’ = -W) (BEAR CLAW),
26 Wild (= anagram indicator) damson (damson = NOMADS) won’t stay for long in one area (NOMADS).
Down:
1 One is presumably happy with the service (TIPPER) holding up (= reverse indicator) agent (rep = -PER) from coalmine (pit = TIP-) (TIPPER),
2 Tasteful (CHIC) meals from chemicals (‘meals’ from ‘chemicals’ = chic = CHIC),
3 Greene (Greene) novel (= anagram indicator) (Greene = ENG-EER) about popular (-IN-) (ENGINEER) designer (ENGINEER),
4 Screen shot of The Fringe’s (‘SCreen shOT’ of The Fringes = scot = SCOT) Edinburgh native (SCOT),
5 It’s a measure (METRIC) of the two police forces, one new (MET-), one old (-RIC), on two neighbouring islands (METRIC),
6 Iron (-FE), carbon (C-), yttrium (-Y-) and chlorine (-CL-) found in lounges (lies = LI- -ES) (LIFE CYCLES) and various series of developments (LIFE CYCLES),
7 Come together (CONVERGE) to govern (govern) complex (= anagram indicator) (govern = -ONVERG-) in Clare (CE = C-E) (CONVERGE),
13 Where you might find the publicans (BEHIND BARS) or corrupt landlords that have been put away? (landlords BEHIND BARS),
14 Supposedly dismisses ploys (‘supposedly’ dismisses ‘ploys’ = upsed = DUPES) and tricks (DUPES),
16 Line (-L-) in limited (limited) adaptation (= anagram indicator) (limited = IL- TIMED) (ILL-TIMED) is not what we need now (ILL-TIMED),
17 Congratulations (WELL DONE) to Spring (WELL) and Dunne (Dunne) on the radio (= homophone indicator) (‘Dunne’ = ‘done’ = DONE) (WELL DONE),
19 Peer’s (peers = EQUALS) question (-Q-) for Unionist leader (‘Unionist’ leader = -U-) in sale (sale) scheme (= anagram indicator) (sale = E-ALS) (EQUALS),
21 Embellish (OVERDO) those characters in Mod Revolution (those characters in ‘mOD REVOlution’ = odrevo) going all the way back (= reverse indicator) (odrevo = OVERDO),
23 Traffic in (traffic in/trade in = HAWK) part of Howth? Awkward! (part of ‘howtH AWKward’ = HAWK),
24 Some forthcoming amendment (some ‘forthcominG AMEndment’ = GAME) could be played out in court (GAME in tennis court).