Eurovision 2023: Epic interval moments from the second Semi-Final
By Assif Majid
On Thursday, 16 countries competed in the second Semi-Final — but only 10 made the final cut to the Grand Final.
Viewers in the 16 countries taking part voted on Thursday alongside three of the other countries pre-qualified for the Grand Final - Spain, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
Full list of countries who took part in second semi-final: Denmark, Armenia, Romania, Estonia, Belgium, Cyprus, Iceland, Greece, Poland, Slovenia, Georgia, San Marino, Austria, Albania, Lithuania, Australia.
Here are our favourite interval moments from Thursday’s Semi-Final:
1. SCOOCH
Was that Scooch dressed as flight attendants? What were they handing out? It looked important, Alesha! The group originally competed for the UK in 2007 with Flying The Flag (For You) - they came 22nd with only 19 points.
2. LUKE EVANS
Welsh Hollywood star Luke Evans gave an impassioned speech about 70 years of Eurovision, where “all are welcome”.
“Come shimmy in our rich biography of everyone,” he says, calling the UK the “bittersweet caretakers” for Ukraine.
3. PEPPA PIG
Did we just see Peppa Pig leading the conga line? We’ve no idea why she’s here - it must be past her bedtime too.
4. UKRAINIAN ACTS
This was a sombre celebration of the country’s musical heritage, it opened with Mariya Yaremchuk (a Eurovision contestant from 2014) singing a medley of well-loved Ukrainian songs.
She was joined by rapper OTOY and 14-year-old Ukrainian Junior Eurovision representative Zlata Dziunka.
The highlight was a performance of Carol Of The Bells, which is based on the Ukrainian song Shchedryk, written by the Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych in 1914.
5. DRAQ QUEENS
Three real queens - Miss Demeanour, Mercedes Benz and Tomara Thomas - get to work on the stage. The camp trio were joined by a huge troupe of silver-clad dancers as Free Yourself by Jessie Ware was pumped out around the Liverpool arena.
En Vogue’s Free Your Mind plays next as even more dancers join the throng.“Eurovision is the place for everyone!” And as Rozalla’s Free gets an airing, to the delight of the crowd. It’s a real wow-factor moment.
Which countries are through to the final?
The winners of Thursday Semi-Final were Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovenia.
Liverpool is hosting the competition on Ukraine's behalf, due to the ongoing Russian invasion of their country.
Now 26 countries will compete in the Grand Final on Saturday for the iconic glass microphone trophy.
Make sure you’re following @bbceurovision on socials for all the latest Eurovision news!
Watch Semi-Final two on BBC iPlayer here
