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Thank you. I did actually try that approach but got in a real mess with my attempt at clue numbering.
I'm still fairly new to these puzzles and I'm not going to beat myself up for not spotting the key device for the grid-fill.

This took me ages to get started on, even with the hint about CLAM-S, which set me off up what turned out to be a blind alley. It does all come together eventually, but I found I had to start at the top and work down before the thematic treatments fell into a pattern.

Dryden, the bottom row isn't one of those thematically affected, so that should help a bit. The weaknesses seemed to me to be the two missing vertical bars (essential in the final grid as described but distracting during the solving) and the fact that the fifth row contains an exceptionally well concealed thematic item that you can complete the grid without needing to identify. But a bit of Googling (or a long memory) will reveal it if you're a complete-ist.

There are some clever teasers in the clues, alluding to both elements of the theme.

Thanks, Ionacar, I confirmed that shortly after my post. I haven't quite finished but nearly there. The item in the fifth row to which you refer puzzles me. I'm sure I have it but I don't see how the first four letters of the full name are provided. I have three different letters provided by the 3-letter entry in column 6, which I assume accommodates the eighth down clue.

ionacarr - I've completed the grid, and lack only the second missing item in Row 5 (happily not needed for sending-in purposes, but essential for me being able to sleep tonight). Could you give the year (or decade even) of the missing item's being uplifted? My search of the complete set yielded nothing useful.

Cockie, did your search go back as far as 1931?

Dryden, as Cockie says, it's the second entry in the fifth row that's the sneaky one, not the first, which consists of two words.

I'm puzzled by the penultimate row. As far as I can see the final letter of a wrap-around answer has completely disappeared without contributing to the absent item.

Cockie, I'm not sure what part of row 5 you are referring to. I have two, one formed from two successive acrosses and one formed by a combination of across and down, but I suspect there's a third because I still have two items to get. One of them may be in row 6.

Thanks, ic, it was the S which threw me. I was hunting for something one letter too long.

I'm now rather confused. I have solved two more across clues (one still to go) that have given me 8 letters of a 9-letter thematic item, that is indeed 1931 vintage. I'm not sure where the initial letter that's needed to complete the item comes from, but I don't see how this can possibly fit in row 5.

if I understand you correctly, the first letter in the 9-letter person comes from the last letter of the "Languid..." clue.

From your prior post, there are no blanks that arise from an across answer meshing with a down answer.

After my post I realised where that item came from. Until then I had assumed that the last letter of the 'languid' answer meshed with the same letter of the item that disappeared from the downs in column 12.
Not sure that I like the idea of a whole word and most of another one being completely unchecked. The Listener Notes for Setters suggest in cases like this there should be some easier clues to compensate, but I can't say these clues have been particularly easy apart from a handful.
Still one thematic item short, and three cells to fill but I may leave that until tomorrow and have a break.