| BENYEHUDA | Lexicographer who was the driving spirit behind the revival of spoken Hebrew in the modern era (1858-1922) |
| ONIONS | Charles Talbut -; lexicographer who was the fourth editor of the Oxford English Dictionary (6) |
| HO | Who was the driving force behind the creation of Knock Airport? (5) |
| ESSENCE | Extract the driving spirit of France |
| SPEARHEADED | Was the driving force behind (11) |
| ONTHEBRAIN | Bugging Head constantly about Hebrew in school (2,3,5) |
| HUMBUG | A lack of Christmas spirit behind embrace, according to Spooner (6) |
| PUSHER | Moving spirit behind drug sales? (6) |
| GHOSTWRITER | Spirit behind someone else's work? (5,6) |
| RUSSO | Riccardo, a GP points-scoring rider in the 1970s who has a namesake racing in the modern era. (5) |
| HINGIS | Tennis: Who holds the record for the youngest person to win a Grand Slam singles title in the modern era (Australian Open 1997 aged 16 years, 117 days)? (6) |
| ADOPTION | In the modern era the choice for those who want a child? (8) |
| DEBUSSY | Which French composer's 1905 La Mer helped usher in the modern era of classical music? (7) |
| SADISM | Love of cruelty in the modern era is encapsulated by Stalin and Mao primarily |
| LEAD | The French, in the modern era, are first |
| TOBY | Actor who played John Robinson in the revival of Lost In Space, _ Stephens (4) |
| MURRAYGOLD | Composer noted for supplying the music for the revival of Doctor Who in 2005 (6,4) |
| DAMIEN | Actor who is playing the titular detective in the revival of Bergerac, _ Molony (6) |
| WILLIAMS | She won more Grand Slam singles titles than any other player in the modern era |
| ADJUSTER | Setter in the modern era fairer |
