| BAB | W S Gilbert's childhood nickname which he used in the title of his ballads, a collection of light verse |
| SWALLOW | The name of Arthur Ransome's dinghy, which he used in his series of children's books (7) |
| EINSTEIN | Theoretical physicist noted for the process or system of thought experiment, which he used to formulate his General and Special Theories of Relativity (8) |
| NOYES | Alfred ___, English poet best known for his ballads The Highwayman and The Barrel-Organ |
| ADAMS | Bryan, Canadian singer-songwriter known for his ballads 'Straight from the Heart' and 'Heaven' (5) |
| LUCKYCOUNTRY | What phrase coined by Donald Horne, and used in the title of his 1964 book, was intended to be used |
| AMARILLO | Singer Tony Christie was granted the freedom of which Texas town mentioned in the title of his biggest hit? (8) |
| BLUEBIRD | North American bird in the order of Passerines, used in the title of a famous Word War II song (8) |
| IRONLADY | Margaret Thatcher's nickname used in the title of a 2011 biopic (4,4) |
| GOBLET | Term for a drinking vessel, used in the title of the fourth Harry Potter novel (6) |
| ECHO | A name from Greek mythology, what is used in the title of newspapers in many countries? (4) |
| ANGELA | Frank McCourt's mother, who is in the title of his 1996 memoir (6) |
| SULLIVAN | Arthur -; composer of 14 light operas in collaboration with W. S. Gilbert including HMS Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance (8) |
| NIGHTANDDAY | Popular Cole Porter song that was used as the title of his 1946 biopic (5,3,3) |
| OMOO | Polynesian for an island-hopper or rover, used by Herman Melville as the title of his sequel to Typee (4) |
| DEADRECKONING | Navigation term used in the title of the most recent 'Mission Impossible' film (4,9) |
| UCCELLO | Meaning 'bird', Italian painter Paolo di Dono's nickname which alludes to his depictions of the natural world including said avian |
| JLO | "Jenny From the Block" singer's nickname, which forms the basis for this puzzle's four theme entries |
| BABBALLADS | Sir W. S. Gilbert's collection of humorous verses (3,7) |
| CHATTYMAN | Alan Carr, in the title of his 2009-2016 TV show |
