Britain's Got Talent: Little drummer boy Kieran Gaffney and young singer Liam McNally through to the final

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By Georgina Littlejohn

Stunned: Kieran Gaffney, who impressed the voting public with his drumming skills, gets emotional after hearing he made it to the Britain's Got Talent finals

He failed to make it through to last year's semi-final but was determined to go even further this time when he returned to audition for the Britain's Got Talent judges.

And 13-year-old Kieran Gaffney's hard work and tenacity paid off after he won the public vote last night and got through to tonight's final.

The little drummer boy said he was 'over the moon' after presenters Ant and Dec read out his name as the first of two contestants to go through

He said: 'I feel great, I feel over the moon. Thanks everyone!'
The second of the last semi-finalists to make the final was 14-year-old Liam McNally, who went head-to-head with dance group A3, three brothers from Swansea, Wales, to face the judges' decision.

Piers Morgan backed Liam, while Amanda Holden decided to give her vote to A3, but it was down to Simon Cowell to make the final decision and give the deciding vote.

Second chance: Singer Liam McNally looked relieved as Simon Cowell chose him over dancing brothers A3, sending him through to the final

He said both acts had been better in previous performances but opted to give Liam another chance.

After performing Danny Boy in the last round, Liam opted for You Raise Me Up for last night's show.

After belting the song out, Morgan said: 'I thought that was a fantastic performance

Bang the drum: Kieran showed off his stick skills

You Raise Me Up: Liam decided to sing Westlife's song which impressed the judges and the audience

Cowell said he though it was 'absolutely terrific', and added: 'The audience loved it.'

The two boys will join eight other finalists for the big show this evening including Spelbound, Tobias Mead, Tina & Chandi, Connected, Paul Burling, Christopher Stone,
Janey Cutler and Twist & Pulse.

But there was disappointment for last night's remaining semi-finalists including exotic dance troupe Dance Flavourz and pole dancing Alesia Vazmitsel

Carnival fun: Dance act Dance Flavourz brought an element of Bollywood and south America to their performance

Bendy: Pole acrobat Alesia Vazmitsel stunned the judges with her flawless and dangerous act

Alesia left the judges stunned by her pole dance, with Cowell telling her that she was 'technically fantastic', while Holden said she was 'absolutely beautiful to watch'.

Morgan told Dance Flavourz that they were an 'explosion of colours and bottoms, great fun'.

Also missing out on the final were dance troupe Mystikal, father and son act unimaginatively called Father & Son, and celebrity impersonaters, The Chippendoubles.

Impressive: Dance troupe Mystikal performed better than at their audition but it wasn't enough to go through

Double take: The Impersonaters, who took off Simon Cowell, Ricky Gervias, Mr T, David Beckham and Gordon Ramsey

Father & Son, Graham and James Edgington sang Bette Midler's classic song The Wind Beneath My Wings but was told by all three judges that their performance had been 'cheesy'.

Morgan said he felt like he was 'drowning in a vat of gorgonzola', while Holden told them it had been a 'cheese-fest'.

Also missing out were dancing brothers A3 from Swansea, who came on the stage on revolving pillars.

Cheesy: Father and son act Graham and James Edgington failed to win over the judges with their rendition of Wind Beneath My Wings

Brotherly love: Swansea siblings A3 showed off am impressive dance routine

The siblings, who practised all their routines in their living room, were praised for their hard work and dedication.

Holden told them they had done themselves proud while Simon Cowell said they were 'very, very talented'.

JLS also performed their new single The Club Is Alive live on the show.
The final takes place tonight on ITV from 7.30 to 10pm