Fed up with cryptic crossword hecklers? Try the Dave Gorman method

Each institution has its own way of dealing with complainants, particularly those whose protests are perhaps not entirely valid. Traditionally, a comedian deftly – sometimes remorselessly – responds to uncivil hecklers. By contrast, a news organisation falls over itself to confess blame: witness a crossword editor’s sackcloth and ashes whenever an aubergine is defined as a vegetable.

This is not the whole picture: standup Dave Gorman, who sets here as Fed, says the heckler as commonly understood is “a bit of a myth really”. Sometimes, a loose cannon at even the self-flagellating BBC will respond directly – I’m thinking of the early days of accountability blogging, when Eddie Mair replied to an entry in the broadcaster’s Listener Log: “You could try listening properly, you cloth-eared buffoon.”

What about crossword setters? They’re not a boisterous bunch; they’re also the kind of people who create intricate constructions solely to make others happy. When they come across a complaint that’s not entirely valid, they tend to offer thanks for the feedback, or wonder whether the furious commenter has a point, or save their actual feelings for private conversation.

Spot the difference with the image above. Photograph: Dave Gorman/U&Dave

So it’s an exhilarating change of pace to watch the same Dave Gorman/Fed on free-to-view channel U&Dave take a commenter’s series of complaints so seriously that it, like the audience, joyously collapses – and all with Gorman’s characteristic cheery goodwill. And he tells us that audience members have been in touch to say that they have since entered the apparently arcane world of cryptics because “the discovery that it’s also about pop stars, football and poo makes them think it might be more approachable”.

Meanwhile, in our cluing conference for BACKWARD, the audacity award is shared by Wellywearer2’s “Sense makes this how?” and Croquem’s “Hesitant at first because Alan Connor knows we are really dim”. The runners-up are Peshwari’s timeless “How Edam is made is not very clever” and Phitonelly’s smart “Uncultivated garden in America has waterlily at front instead of rear”. And the winner is, brace yourself, “Disadvantage in part the other way around, the other way around, the other way around?” Kludos to Schroduck and please leave entries for FRUIT below, along with any favourite clues or puzzles you’ve spotted.