Veni, vidi, vici....whooooosh....
ACROSS
8 - Writer comrade — one who accumulates (8) - COMPILER {COM}{PILER}
9 - Friend and champion in king's house (6) - PALACE {PAL}{ACE}
10 - On fire, sailor spreads zeal (6) - ABLAZE {AB}{ZEAL*}
11 - Big animal leapt: hen trembled (8) - ELEPHANT*
12 - He creates something original (8) - INVENTOR [E]
13 - Dislike covering a traffic light (6) - HATRED {HAT}{RED}
14 - What a glutton would appreciate (1,3,2,4,5) - A LOT ON ONES PLATE [CD]
18 - A bighead scattered tens — not here (6) - ABSENT {A}{B}{TENS*}
20 - Coming to know fifty are making money (8) - LEARNING {L}{EARNING}
23 - Lowly fellows tense underground (8) - BASEMENT {BASE}{MEN}{T}
25 - Observation not something cool (6) - NOTICE {NOT}{ICE}
26 - Stadium entrance where no collection is made (4,4) - OPEN GATE [CD]
DOWN
1 - Robert to discard reel (6) - BOBBIN {BOB}{BIN}
2 - Indian father's tear is obvious (8) - APPARENT {APPA}{RENT}
3 - Celt in form of customer (6) - CLIENT*
4 - Yet you've to pay for rendering in another language (4,11) - FREE TRANSLATION [CD]
5 - They are delivered at conventions (8) - SPEECHES [CD]
6 - Dahl to throw away what's no longer in fashion (3,3) - OLD HAT*
7 - Examination after examination is least sufficient (8) - SCANTEST {SCAN}{TEST}
17 - If bad, it's swearing (8) - LANGUAGE [CD]
19 - It might cover a pupil (6) - EYELID [CD]
21 - Longs for going over right bridges (6) - ARCHES {A{R}CHES}
22 - Untidy strip in a state of undress (6) - NUDITY*