These days, it’s not enough for Eurovision hopefuls to simply make their bid for contest glory on the big night itself – because first there is the semi-final to contend with.
Yes, in order to whittle down the 40 or so countries that take part to a more manageable number (meaning the main event itself doesn’t last until the small hours), the semi-finals on Tuesday and Thursday will see some of this year’s hopefuls wave goodbye to the contest for good.
Ten will qualify from Tuesday’s show, and a further ten from Thursday’s, joining the seven countries – that’s the ‘Big Five’ of UK, Spain, France, Italy and Germany –… Read the full story