Britain's Got Talent, semi-final 2 results: magicians Matt Edwards and Issy Simpson are through to the final (2024)

Magicians Issy Simpson and Matt Edwards through to final
DancersGrace & Ali were in third place
Former Fifth Harmony member Camila Cabello performedlive, amid accusations of miming

There will be threemagic acts in this year's final

Earlier tonight, we speculated that the public might not vote through two more magic acts, and also opined that comedy magician Matt Edwards was a little divisive, and might lose out because of this. Just shows how much we know: Edwards is through to the final, along with eight-year-old "witch" (Simon Cowell's words, not ours) Issy Simpson. This means, of course,that they'll now be not one, not two, but three magic actsin this year's final, as DNA went through last night.

That said, it's worth mentioning that all three acts are strikingly different - and that no one would be quibbling if there were three singing acts, say, in the final. Either way, magic is definitely having a moment this year. Cananyone say "Richard Jones effect"?

But they'll probably all want to steer clear of Alesha Dixon

Earlier tonight, her number-fumbling almost messed up the climax of poor Simpson's act, although luckily others stepped in to correct the befuddled judge.

Dancing duo Grace & Ali were in third place - but could still make it through as the wildcard act

We're keeping our fingers crossed for them: they were absolutely fantastic.

If #graceandali don't get this wildcard is there even any point in watching the finals all we will see is magicians #BritainsGotTalent
— Danielle Walker (@daniellelou1_x) May 30, 2017

Very very happy that both Issy and Matt got through🎉 Really want Grace&Ali to be the wildcard🙌 #BritainsGotTalent
— holster_ (@hollywhiting_xx) May 30, 2017

Get in !!! but grace and ali have to be the wildcard #BritainsGotTalent
— Mark Pennock (@markpennock1994) May 30, 2017

There's also a lot of support in evidencefor young singer Harry Gardner, whose Ed Sheeran cover left many viewers in tears, as did the revelation that his grandmother, for whom he wrote his moving first audition song, Not Alone, had passed away.

You can check out the song's music video on YouTube (there's also a link to a fundraising page that Gardner has set up to raise money for Alzheimer's Research UK).

She won herself a dedicated legion of fans - but it was definitelytime for DJ Dizzy Twilight to go

Yes, she was good fun, and she was 66, and she had a shiny silver spaceship...but when novelty acts (sorry Dizzy) get through instead of talented performers, viewers' patience tends to run a little thin...and the entire talent contest format breaks down, making the whole thing seem like a bit of a joke.

That said, we would have quite liked to see what her Majesty would have made of Twilight's DJ-ing.

Vote for @dizzytwilight to see the queen raving!!! @BGT #DjDizzyTwilight
— A$tarL€oN (@passmedhookah) May 30, 2017

As it happened:

9:58PM

And the second act through is...Issy Simpson

She's just said, a little tearfully, that she feels "very good" about the news. Bless.

9:57PM

Matt Edwards is the first act through to the final...

Which just goes to show that Twitter reaction tells us absolutely nothing.

9:55PM

It's results time!

Grace & Ali, Matt Edwards and Issy Simpson are in the top three

The usually confident Simpson is crying, which is incredibly cute-but-also-sad.

9:49PM

Camila Cabello gives fiery solo performance - and phone lines are now closed

No more voting, people. It's all over. For tonight.

In other news, Cabello's performance seems to have been a hit with some viewers, although a fair fewpeople are accusing the former Fifth Harmony member of miming.

It's like theSt.Patrick's Junior ChoirDrumgreenagh controversyall over again.Drumgreenagh-vu, if you like. Which we don't, because it doesn't really work as a pun.

@Camila_Cabello good miming Hun #BritainsGotTalent
— Nicola Reilly (@Reillyyy_xo) May 30, 2017

I'm sorry but it sounds like Camilla is miming.. #BGT #BritainsGotTalent
— SHANNON (@screamobeast) May 30, 2017

Blatant miming from Camila on #BritainsGotTalent
— Lucy (@fadingintonight) May 30, 2017

sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it appears that @Camila_Cabello has been captured by Sauron. #BritainsGotTalent #BGT pic.twitter.com/jhuYRHW3Do
— Kris Nixon (@belfastbarman) May 30, 2017

9:41PM

We're back - and it's good news for Destiny from Malta

According to Ant and Dec, the country's President,Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, has praised the young singer on Twitter.

We just checked, and can confirm that this is indeed the case.

Aww.

Time to take a break - and decide who to vote for

The phone lines are open, the kettles are on,and it's time to take a break:Britain's Got Talent will be back at 10pm with tonight's results.

Judging by the Twitter reaction so far, as well as the overall quality of tonight's performances, our money for this episode's"winners" ison Issy Simpson and Harry Gardner. That said, personally speaking, we'd also love to see Grace & Ali go through to the BGT final. Their performance was beautiful- and Grace flew! (Without the aid of a Dizzy Twilight-style DJ spaceship, we might add.)

We're also not sure about the fate of the Lee Evans-esque comedy magician Matt Edwards, who seems to have been a resoundinghit with the judges and some audience members, but evidentlyisn't everyone's cup of tea.

Matt Edwards belongs in butlins on minimum wage #bgt2017
— Kieran 🐢 (@Kieranthompson0) May 30, 2017

Matt Edwards on @BGT is one of the best entertainers I've seen in a very long time - very clever and a great showman #mattedwards #bgt
— Rob Thornton (@robthornton92) May 30, 2017

8:55PM

Simon Cowell tells Taptastik: 'You were probably having a better time than I was'

The other judges, however, were much kinder to the Brighton tap troupe.

"You go around every day doing your ordinary jobs," said Holden (a little patronisingly, perhaps) "and tonight you were extra-ordinary."

8:49PM

This viewer has voiced what we're all secretly thinking

Still hope a cameo from honey g #BritainsGotTalent
— manolis varnas (@lostintimeline) May 30, 2017

8:47PM

Dancing lovebirds Grace & Ali give high-flying performance

"The love that you have between you just exploded," said a breathless Holden afterwards, while Cowell described the pair'scarefully choreographed duet as "stunning", praising them for the way they hadn't been afraid to experiment and deviate from their first audition.

The consensus, from both the judges and viewers back home,seems to be that Grace & Ali area) quite adorable and b) an act who thoroughly deserve to be in the final.

Our long and sadexperience with TVtalent contests and human nature, alas,tells us that this meansthey probably won't make it through. We can but hope, though.

Don't normally watch #BritainsGotTalent but I'm glad I watched that, so beautiful #GraceAndAli ♥️
— Shan. (@shann_robb) May 30, 2017

She dances with such grace, and he literally dances with Grace#bgt #BritainsGotTalent #GraceAndAli
— John Taylor (@the_able_seaman) May 30, 2017

8:34PM

Classical singer Leah Barniville gives a stunning performance - but will the public vote her through?

"Bloody hell," Cowell said afterwards. "That was fantastic."

He then warned, however, that Barnivillemight have needed more than "violin players and a moon" to stand out from tonight's other acts.

We hate to say it (Barniville is undeniably good) but he's got a point.

Can this talented singerreally compete with the likes of Dizzy Twilight?

8:28PM

Comedy magician Matt Edwards gets mixed reaction from viewers

 An extended routine, with a punchline that involvedhugging Ant (instead of killing him) won praise from the judges, with Holden describing it a s"perfect variety",but viewers back home weren't quite so keen on Edwards's slapstick style.

Well, that involved neither comedy or magic. #BritainsGotTalent
— JR (@jronthetrain) May 30, 2017

Matt Edwards is really, really not funny. Just bloody annoying and cringey. #BritainsGotTalent
— Ben Jessop (@Ben_Jessop1) May 30, 2017

#BritainsGotTalent Matt Edwards is a bit like Marmite..
But I like Marmite...
— Meayit (@AnitaGoodallWM) May 30, 2017

 Others griped that they could clearly see how his dice-swap trick was enacted.

I saw him switch the dice #BritainsGotTalent
— shaan (@shan____) May 30, 2017

#BritainsGotTalent Well that dice swap wasn't obvious mate!
— LookBackInAnger (@spinaway00) May 30, 2017

8:14PM

Issy Simpson wows with magic routine, Alesha Dixon messes up - and Cowell makes a botox joke

After a quick magicalde-aging, Simpson'strick for tonightinvolved getting all four judges to pass over a piece of information (asked to name a famous celebrity everyone would know, Cowell went forhimself),before revealing that she had had their choiceswritten down in an envelope all along.

There was, however, a bit of a tense moment after Dixon nearly ruined the trick by reading out the wrong number, although luckily she was quickly corrected.

Afterwards, Cowell had a jibe at Holden's expense about the trick's opening - "she uses magic, you use botox " - before praising the eight-year-old "witch"'sstage presence and impressive confidence.

Amanda desparately trying to change her facial expression there after the botox jibe from Simon #BritainsGotTalent
— Daisy Belle (@Daisybelle64) May 30, 2017

Viewers at home, meanwhile (or at least those bothering to tweet) seemgenerally impressed. Could Simpsonbecome the second magician to make it through to this year'sfinal?

wow I was mesmerized watching that littl girl Issy on #BritainsGotTalent how on earth did she do that 😮 definitely needs to get to the final
— MsArleneB (@MsArlene_B) May 30, 2017

This little lass is exactly the sort of person who should win #BGT #bgt2017 #BritainsGotTalent
— Daniel Smith (@CuppaBrew) May 30, 2017

8:01PM

Harry Gardner performs Ed Sheeran's Supermarket Flowers

Gardner, who sat at a piano and accompanied himself, dedicated his moving performance to his grandmother, who had sadly passed away since his last audition.

"My heart goes out to you. I think the public are going to get this. You did good," Cowell told him, after offering his condolences for Gardner's loss.

Walliams, meanwhile, praised Gardner's ability to make the Sheeran song sound as if he had written it himself.

7:52PM

DJ Dizzy Twilight hovers above the stage in a spaceship above three dancing pensioners

The 66-year-old's predictably zany performance had David Walliams on his feet but left others cold.

"You didn't wow me as much as you did at your first audition," said Dixon before adding:"Your mixing has improved a bit, though." (Backhanded compliment, or straight-up burn?)

Hodlen voiced what seems to be the general consensus, telling poor Dizzy: "I liked the tunes, but I don't know how much...talent there is there."

The queen if @dizzytwilight performed at The Royal Variety #BritainsGotTalent pic.twitter.com/kPWuLtNZJ8
— Amanda MacLean (@Mandtakespics) May 30, 2017

Amanda saying 'It's not really talent' to DJ Dizzy. Never a truer sentence spoken I think #BritainsGotTalent #bgt
— MR SUPERPIDGE (@superpidge) May 30, 2017

Over on Twitter, meanwhile, the conspiracy theories were coming thick and fast. Was Twilight evenmixing at all?

Show us some angles of where she is actually doing some mixing 😏 #BritainsGotTalent #BGT
— Jas Judge (@JasJudge) May 30, 2017

7:45PM

Singer Destiny Chukunyere earns the respect of the judges

The teenage Maltese singer and former Junior Eurovision winner (a line we'd love to have on CV, and sadly never will)just gave a spine-tinglingly good rendition of Aretha Franklin's Respect, and three of the judges seem to be full on board.

"At risk of sounding like Louis Welsh, you were born to do this," gushedAmanda Holden, to much Twitter hilarity. (Poor Louis Walsh.)

Good old Louis Welsh #BritainsGotTalent
— JMartinez (@JTMMartinez) May 30, 2017

Did Amanda Holden just say Louis WELSH #BritainsGotTalent #BGT
— Charlotte (@CharlotteLCann) May 30, 2017

Cowell, however, wasn't best pleased that Chukunyerewent for another Franklin classic, saying that he'd have preferred to see a bit more variety.

7:34PM

And we're off!

Judge Alesha Dixon says she's got hereye on Matt tonight, while Simon Cowell has just admitted that he "doesn't know who's ontonight".

"I like to be like the audience at home," he explains.

7:29PM

The Golden Buzzers: are they in with a better chance of making it to the final?

Here's a quick reminder of all the acts who received acoveted Golden Buzzer pass from one of the judges this year - but, now that the public votes isholding sway, we're not convinced this list will ultimately have much bearing onwho makes it through to the final.

Yes, Kyle Tomlinson made it through last night, but the admirably persistent 15-year-old, who first appeared on BGT when he was just 12 - and was rudely sent away - was already a firm favourite with viewers

We're not convinced they have quite the same affection for the other four acts, including magician Matt Edwards who'll be performing tonight....but we could be wrong.Either way, we'll find out soon enough...

7:11PM

How many more magicians do we want in the final?

Good evening, and welcome to tonight's Britain's Got Talent semi final live blog, during which we'll be, erm,live-blogging tonight's Britain's Got Talent semi-final.

During last night's nail-biting instalment (which came complete with its very own miming controversy) we saw magic act DNA and singer Kyle "Golden Buzzer Boy" Tomlinson sailthrough to this weekend's live final. But which of tonight's actswill join them?

There are not one, but two magic actstaking place in tonight's contest, including Golden Buzzer act Matt Edwards...but, popularity of last year's winner Richard Jones not withstanding, just how many magiciansdo the public really want in the show's final?

Here's a quick recap of all tonight's contestants:

Issy Simpson: An 8-year-old budding magician whose hero is Hermione Granger.

Destiny Chukunyere: 14-year-old Maltese singer who previously won Junior Eurovision in 2015.

Matt Edwards: Suffolk magician who was one of the recipients of the show's Golden Buzzer.

TapTastik: A tap dancing troupe from Brighton, who managed to reach the semi-finals despite failing to win over Simon Cowell.

Leah Barniville: Representing classical music on this year's show is this 15-year-old Irish singer.

Grace & Ali: A pair of teenage lovebirds who perform together as contemporary modern dancers.

Dizzy Twilight: A 65-year-old retiree who moonlights (or is that 'twilights'?) as a DJ.

Harry Gardner: A teenage singer/songwriter who previously performed an original song about Alzheimer's for his grandmother.