The highlighted clues (and spots) form a loop. Each spot's clue refers to the word at the next spot, going around in the same order as the spots overlap in the grid.

1.  2.   3.  4.  5.   6.  7.
  g   g g   g   g   g g   g  
8.               
  g   g g g g g g g g g   g  
9.    10.  11. g 12.  13.     
  g   g   g   g   g   g   g  
14.        g 15.       
g g g g   g   g   g   g g g g
16.  17.      g 18.    19.  20.
  g   g   g   g   g   g   g  
21.        g 22.       
  g   g g g g g g g g g   g  
23.     24. 25.  26. 27.      
  g   g g 28.   g 29.   g g   g  
30.               

ACROSS

1. 1-Down for the ill-constructed A-Z loop ... is it a hint? (15)

8. Benji clone 'AO' but oddly inoffensive (15)

9. Not 10-Down ... like Morrison? (7)

12. Mail w.l.s. broken - to operate, it needs someone to log on (7)

14. Throttle rate got controlled (7)

15. 7-Down with success as Green defects (7)

16. Had us tie ropes to provide with more of what 17-Down (7)

18. 13-Down opposition with deranged siblings (7)

21. Smokers waste but mind! (4-3)

22. More eccentric tilt by Mole (7)

23. Strange cults get friends tending toward 19-Down (4-11)

28,29. see SHORTS

30. Broadcast sanitised, so play fairly (15)

DOWN

1. V.C. hero using provision of 9-Across (7)

2. Second, less warm parent perhaps (7)

3,4,5. see SHORTS

6. Cleverly bug mini-indoctrination (7)

7. 1-Across may involve these unnecessarily losing cunning (7)

10. Skin strange 16-Across with nothing in right place (7)

11. Let off about Ecstasy being spiked (7)

12. Guided reformed male on education (7)

13. 15-Across labour to take late snack (5,2)

16. Leaves HQ, perhaps, immoral (7)

17. Takes a deal with some characters from 23-Across (7)

19. He 18-Across no more, returning from the paramedic I usually recommend (7)

20. Scottish beam about horse showing ribs (7)

24,25,26,27. see SHORTS

SHORTS

Words of two or three letters have their definition in the first line, and their spellings (forward or backward) in the second...

"Wildlife park measures sibling vessel - note conjunction at extremity."

"As I say 'time', the other boozers meet old doorman running out."