Eurovision 2023 semi final 2: How it works, how many…

Eurovision 2023 semi final 2: How it works, how many acts go through and what is the running order?

The Eurovision Song Contest will continue tonight as 16 countries take to the stage for the second semi-final.

This evening's second semi-final will decide the last 10 qualifiers. Alesha Dixon, Hannah Waddingham and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina will return as hosts after helping to kick off the contest earlier this week.

Thursday is this year considered the less competitive of the two semi-finals, though a number of fan favourites are still set to perform. Polish pop singer Blanka looks likely to make an impact with her track Solo, a summery tune with a catchy hook reminiscent of Ariana Grande's music.

Andrew Lambrou, from Cyprus, will also deliver a rendition of his emotive ballad Break A Broken Heart against a backdrop of dramatic animated waterfalls.

One of the more quirky acts will be Teya And Salena, the first female duo to compete for Austria at the contest, who will perform their dance-pop track Who The Hell Is Edgar?

Eurovision semi-final 2: How it works and how many acts go through:

On Tuesday night, 15 acts competed in the first semi-final and 10 went through to the grand final. Wild Youth, representing Ireland, were eliminated while Loreen from Sweden and Kaarija from Finland sailed through following the public vote.

Tonight, 16 acts will perform and a further 10 will go through to Saturday's show. In a change for 2023, only viewers' votes will decide which countries qualify onwards from the semi-final stage. This means acts will not have to face the judges until they reach the grand final stage.

The second semi-final will be broadcast from 8pm on BBC One on Thursday.