Across:
8 Fear (PHOBIA) of copper (copper = penny = P-) finding what’s illegally obtained (hot) mostly (t) (‘hot’ without ‘t’ = -HO-) from bank (AIB) hold-up (= reversal indicator) (AIB = -BIA) (PHOBIA),
9 Grasp the overwhelming advantage (HOLD ACES) – it’s what the Luftwaffe was expected to do with the POWs? (hold fighter pilots / HOLD ACES in Prisoner of War camps in second World War),
10 Part of the forest (TREE) dug up (= reversal indicator) in deer trail (in ‘dEER Trail’ = eert = TREE),
11 1 down, for example (‘church’ = HOUSE OF GOD), in the Parthenon in Greece (HOUSE OF GOD),
12 Peach (peach = CHAPE-) salad (= anagram indicator) and port (port/left = -L) (CHAPEL) where the service is supposedly good (CHAPEL),
14 Miserable (PATHETIC) route (PATH-) is just more of the same (etc = -ET-C) around institute (-I-) (PATHETIC),
15 Vocal (= homophone indicator) confrontational encounter (‘duel’ = ‘DUAL”) with coach (CARRIAGE-) on track (-WAY) (DUAL CARRIAGEWAY) is over a couple of lanes and could go in either direction (DUAL CARRIAGEWAY),
18 Killer whale (orca = ACRO-) upsets (= reversal indicator) fly-by-nights (-BATS) (ACROBATS) and those working at top level without nets (ACROBATS),
20 Worker (ant = -TNA-) falls over (= reversal indicator) in Cork (cap = CA-P) (CATNAP) and is unconscious with this briefly (CATNAP),
22 They edit the bad language (CENSORS-) in Vogue (vogue/trend = -HIP) (CENSORSHIP) and that goes against journalistic ethics (CENSORSHIP),
24 Job in the theatre (PART) limits Patrick Stewart (limits ‘PAtrick StewaRT’ = PART),
25 Isn’t saying much (TACITURN) as Adam (-I-) is consumed by diplomacy (tact = TAC-T-) covering The Ashes (-URN) (TACITURN),
26 Strikingly unconventional (EXOTIC) engineering (E-) associated with toxic (toxic) mixture (= anagram indicator) (toxic = -XOTIC) (EXOTIC).
Down:
1 Faith (CHURCH) has short (l) fling (‘hurl’ without ‘l’ = -HUR-) with head of college (head of ‘college’ = -C-) in Switzerland (C-H) (CHURCH),
2 Rebellious (= reversal indicator) bit of Galileo bothered (bit of ‘GalilEO BOthered’ = eobo = OBOE) by instrument (OBOE),
3 A (-A-) large (-L-) reception area (-HALL-) in Virginia (VA = V-A) (VALHALLA) is heaven to some who have witnessed fighting in the past (VALHALLA),
4 No badness in basset hound (no ‘badness’ in ‘basset hound’ = thou = THOU) from Quakers’ address (THOU),
5 Adam (Adam is the ELDEST) Last in Sheffield (last in ‘sheffielD’ = -D-) surrounded by steel (steel = EL-EST) works? (= anagram indicator) (ELDEST),
6 Chaps (-MEN-) chasing (= positional indicator) fox (BAFFLE-) for time (-T) (BAFFLEMENT) in utter bewilderment (BAFFLEMENT),
7 Malone is (Malone is = SEMOLINA) out (= anagram indicator) of one ingredient for pasta (SEMOLINA),
13 This sort of talk with lover (PILLOW- talk) betrays unconscious desires – according to Freud (Freudian -SLIP) (PILLOWSLIP) one needs to sleep on it (PILLOWSLIP),
14 River (-R) dividing Pisa (Pisa) meanders (= anagram indicator) (Pisa = PA-IS) (PARIS) out of European capital (PARIS),
16 Presumably, what Beckett’s nephew called his relation (Samuel Beckett / UNCLE SAM) in America (UNCLE SAM),
17 Resigned oneself (ACCEPTED) to go along with (ACCEPT-) writer (-ED) (ACCEPTED),
19 Broadcast on the radio (AIR) piece (GUN) (AIR GUN) that if it’s targeted at you it will come as a body blow (AIR GUN),
21 Local chicken (AFRAID) takes the head off (r) neighbours’ highflyers (‘RAF’ without ‘r’= AF-) with surprise attack (-RAID) (AFRAID),
23 Worker (HAND) with half of 9 across, for example, in Las Vegas (half of ‘hold aces’, for example, in Las Vegas = HAND),
24 Something for the readers (PLOT) of Gardeners’ World (PLOT).