Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

Image source, Getty Images

Tonight's show ended with host Sandra Studer covering a Eurovision classic - Toto Cutungo's Insieme: 1992.

Originally performed in 1990, it gave Italy their second ever victory in the contest. The lyrics were a plea for European unity, with the title referring to the establishment of the EU in 1992.

The audience in Basel is now wending their way home - some delighted, and others deflated now that we now know who'll be taking part in Saturday's grand final.

The running order will be revealed in the next 24 hours; and we'll be back again for the all-singing, all-dancing coverage of the grand final on Saturday.

Tune in at 20:00 BST/21:00 Swiss time to join the fun.

And don't forget the ceremony will be broadcast live in the UK on BBC One and BBC Radio 2, so there's no escaping it.

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

Image source, Getty Images

There'll be celebrations in Riga tonight. This is only the third time Latvia has qualified for Eurovision in the last decade.

Tautumeitas's song, a folk chant called Bur Man Laimi, was considered one of the outliers at the contest, but its gentle, ethereal tones stood out in a night that was stuffed full of thumping club tracks.

The biggest upset was Australia's disqualification. Go-Jo's saucy pop anthem Milkshake Man was ranked in the top 15 by bookmakers - but he'll be flying back to Perth tomorrow, as Australia crashes out of the contest for the second year in a row.

And spare a thought for Montenegro - who haven't made the final of Eurovision since 2015.

Image source, Alma Bengtsson

Here are the 10 countries who made it through to Saturday's final:

• Armenia: PARG – SURVIVOR
• Austria: JJ – Wasted Love
• Denmark: Sissal – Hallucination
• Finland: Erika Vikman – ICH KOMME
• Greece: Klavdia – Asteromáta
• Israel: Yuval Raphael – New Day Will Rise
• Latvia: Tautumeitas – Bur Man Laimi
• Lithuania: Katarsis – Tavo Akys
• Luxembourg: Laura Thorn – La Poupée Monte Le Son (pictured above)
• Malta: Miriana Conte – SERVING

That means that Australia, Czechia, Georgia, Ireland, Montenegro and Serbia go home empty handed. Better luck next year.

The results are in and, as we discovered on Tuesday, Eurovision organisers have come up with a new way to inject jeopardy into the results of the semi-final.

In previous years, the hosts have announced the 10 countries who'll proceed to Saturday's final one at a time, with a camera cutting to the victorious country as their name is read out.

This time, you'll see three contestants who might proceed to the next round. One will qualify, but the other two will be left in limbo.

The tenth and final reveal will be presented in the old way - to avoid shots of contestants in tears as they learn they’ve been chucked out.

According to organisers, the countries who appear in the split screen are chosen at random by an algorithm. No country will be shown more than three times, and repeated pairings are not allowed.

And if you followed all of that, you're doing better than me!

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

Image source, Getty Images

The next interval act is a homage to the cancelled Eurovision Song Contest of 2020, which ground to a halt as the world entered a Covid-19 lockdown.

Our hosts namecheck the artists who never got to perform at the contest, after which we get to hear four of the songs that would have featured in the 2020 edition.

Gjon's Tears from Switzerland performs Répondez-moi; Lithuanian band The Roop play On Fire; Efendi from Azerbaijan (pictured) performs Cleopatra; and Destiny from Malta closes the segment with All of My Love.

Funnily enough, all four acts got to come back in 2021 - albeit with different songs. The contest was eventually won by Italian rock band Måneskin, with Zitti e Buoni, setting them on a path to global fame.

Image source, Alma Bengtsson / EBU

Ten songs from each semi-final will qualify for Saturday’s grand final. They will join last year's winner, Switzerland, along with the Big Five (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) for a total of 26 songs.

The qualifiers are chosen by a public vote, with every country who performed in tonight's semi-final getting a say.

Viewers get a maximum of 20 votes, cast via phone call, SMS or via the official app.

When the lines close, each country will have chosen a "Top 10" of their favourite songs. The most popular song gets 12 points, the second choice gets 10, and the rest are scored from eight to one.

At the end of the night, the scores are totalled up, and five countries are booted out of the competition.

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

Image source, Getty Images

As the voting gets underway, we're treated to a song and dance number that interrogates Switzerland's obsession with time.

"We like to be organised, precise and punctual – to be as accurate as our watches," says a voiceover, as dancers twirl around a clock face.

As the beat intensifies, the segment becomes an exhortation to live life to the full.

"Time is not just ticking. It’s dancing, laughing, singing

"It’s beating, every second. It’s feeling every moment

"I won’t just let life pass by like the ticking of a clock. I’ll live it, love it, make it mine."

So what are you doing watching Eurovision? Reach for the stars! Achieve your dreams! Or just have another biscuit.

Image source, EPA

Get your voting fingers ready, it's time to choose your favourites!

As our hosts have explained, you can place up to 20 votes for your favourite act(s), but you can't vote for your own country, so don't even think about it.

The vote is only open to viewers from the countries performing in tonight's semi-final. That means UK viewers can take part tonight, after sitting out Tuesday's edition.

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

It goes quickly, huh? Here's a look at the final four acts from tonight's semi-final.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

Yuval Raphael's performance tonight passes without incident.

Earlier today, according to Getty Images, a protester whistled and held aloft a Palestinian flag during Raphael's song rehearsal.

Image source, Reuters

Israel's presence at Eurovision has been a subject of scrutiny and protest amid the ongoing military action in Gaza.

More than 52,000 people have been killed in the campaign, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The action started in response to Hamas’ attack on Israel in October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage.

Organisations, including Amnesty International, have accused Israel of committing genocide, a label which it rejects.

In Basel, posters for the Eurovision Song Contest have been graffitied with anti-Israel slogans; and the country complained to police after a pro-Palestinian demonstrator allegedly made a throat-slitting gesture towards their contestant, Yuval Raphael.

Pro-Palestinian protests are also planned in the city ahead of the competition, while Ireland’s broadcaster RTÉ has called for a wider discussion on Israel’s continued participation.

Speaking to the BBC earlier this week, Raphael – who is herself a survivor of the 7 October attacks – said she was prepared for criticism.

"I think I'm expecting it," she admitted, when asked if she anticipated booing. "But we are here to sing and I'm going to sing my heart out for everyone."

So far, her dress rehearsals have passed without incident, although audience reaction has been muted and some fans held up Palestinian flags during today's dress rehearsal.

Nonetheless, her song New Day Will Rise is among the favourites to win the competition.

Image source, Reuters

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

Seven more acts have taken the stage in Basel. Here's what happened...

Image source, Sarah Louise Bennett

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

Image source, EPA

Our guides tonight are Swiss comedian Hazel Brugger and singer-turned-TV host Sandra Studer, a former Eurovision contestant herself.

As you might have seen on Tuesday, they have an self-aware style that celebrates the glorious nonsense and showbiz spectacle of Eurovision.

"I learnt English to host this show," noted Brugger, a successful stand-up comedian, in one of her links.

"I learnt so many words and they said, 'In the end it doesn't matter because the commentators are going to talk over you anyway.'"

The hosts also pulled off a spectacularly silly interval number that listed Switzerland's many gifts to the world (potato peelers, zippers, the electric guitar) and celebrated the creation of Eurovision, which was dreamt up by Swiss television executive Marcel Bezençon back in 1956.

If you missed it, you can watch it here, external.

Tonight we've seen Hazel crowdsurfing, hoovering the stage and visiting an over-60s club in an outfit I can only describe as "disco salmon".

Her chaotic energy is a breath of fresh air, stopping the tightly-scripted show from going stale. It'll be interesting to see what she has in store for the grand final.

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

We're roughly at the half-way point now, and journalists are fuirously clacking away at their keyboards in the press centre next to the Eurovision arena in Basel.

But everyone stops to watch their favourites. Next to me, an Australian journalist with dyed blue hair gyrated wildly to Go-Jo's Milkshake Man. And there was a huge reaction from the Greek delegation as Klavdia hit the high notes of her stormy ballad Asteromáta.

Best of all was the moment when hundreds of people from every walk of life joined together to sing the missing word from Miriana Conte's "Serving" (if you know, you know). As the Eurovision slogan goes, the room was united by music.

The UK didn't quite get that reaction, but there was a general feeling that Remember Monday had found an extra gear after their rehearsals earlier today. The only way is up.

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

Here's a look at the highlights from the opening acts of tonight's show.

Image source, Sarah Louise Bennett

Image source, Sarah Louise Bennett

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

Image source, Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU

Girl band Remember Monday are about to take the Eurovision stage for the first time.

They will be performing a song titled What The Hell Just Happened, full of harmonies and pop melodies.

The singers are Lauren Byrne, Holly-Anne Hull and Charlotte Steele, who met at school in Farnborough, Hampshire, and appeared on TV talent show The Voice, in 2019.

Lauren and Holly-Anne have also appeared in West End shows like Phantom of the Opera and Six: The Musical.

They'll be hoping to turn around the UK's fortunes, after the last two contestants Olly Alexander and Mae Muller both finished at the bottom end of the table in 2024 and 2023 respectively.

"The closer we get to it, the more hungry we are for a good result," Holly-Anne told me earlier this week. "A placement in the single digits would be nice."

They'll find out whether their Eurovision wish will be granted on Saturday - as the band qualify automatically for the final.

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

Image source, EPA

If you weren't there, you missed out. We had sauna whisks, demonic aerobics, an Icelandic Jedward and a slice of Poison Cake, courtesy of Croatia’s Marko Bosnjak.

There was also a rare technical glitch during Switzerland's song, as an on-stage camera malfunctioned, causing the picture to freeze.

Afterwards, singer Zoë Më reassured fans it was a one-off incident and that her team would “have a solution” before Saturday’s final. If it was to happen again, she’d be offered the chance to repeat her song under Eurovision rules.

There are five countries who won't be repeating their songs on Saturday, after failing to make it through on Tuesday. They are Azerbaijan, Belgium, Cyprus, Croatia and Slovenia.

Here are the 10 acts that did qualify:

Norway: Kyle Alessandro – Lighter

Albania: Shkodra Elektronike – Zjerm

Sweden: KAJ – Bara Bada Bastu

Iceland: VÆB – RÓA

Netherlands: Claude – C'est La Vie

Poland: Justyna Steczkowska – GAJA

San Marino: Gabry Ponte – Tutta L'Italia

Estonia: Tommy Cash – Espresso Macchiato

Portugal: NAPA – Deslocado

Ukraine: Ziferblat – Bird of Pray

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

Image source, Reuters

The show opens with Australian singerGo-Jo, whose song Milkshake Man is one long double-entendre, and all the better for it.

He arrives on stage with a giant food blender, which delivers the first of the night's costume changes. In case you're wondering, costume changes are a big theme. During rehearsals, I counted 10 instances of "removing my dress to reveal a shorter, spanglier dress".

We can also expect to see a lot of dry ice and pride rocks, as the artist’s whose songs deliver DRAMATIC and IMPORTANT messages drive home their point with DRAMATIC and IMPORTANT staging.

You're much more likely to enjoy Malta’s Miriani Conte, whose sing-song rave ditty Serving has proved to be a fan favourite; and Austria’s JJ, whose heartbreak aria Wasted Love is staged on a tiny boat, cast adrift in an unforgiving ocean.

The UK's Remember Monday make their Eurovision debut, hoping to dazzle Basel with their close-knit harmonies. I’m a big fan of Latvia's entry, Tautumeitas, who combine their country's traditional folk music with the electric pulse of Bjork's Vespertine – but I’m not sure it's a massive vote winner.

And make sure you stick around to the end for Finland's Erika Vikman, who brings new meaning to the phrase, "ending the show with a bang".

Image source, Reuters

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

This is quite sweet. Instead of a big, starry opening number, tonight's show begins with a humble Eurovision enthusiast called Phillip.

"I’ve been a Eurovision fan for over 50 years," he says in a video from the streets of Basel.

"Experiencing Eurovision in my hometown is truly once in a lifetime... I love watching fans from around the world become one big family."

As the segment ends, Phillip appears on the stage of the St Jackobshalle.

He walks down the catwalk carrying a glowing fluorescent heart with the Swiss flag at its centre. Then he slots it into the Eurovision logo, lighting the fuse for semi-final two... And we're off!

Here's who we’ll see gracing the stage at Basel’s 12,000-capacity St Jakobshalle tonight.