Watch Piff and Paul Zerdin in the semi-finals

British acts Piff The Magic Dragon and Paul Zerdin both performed in the live semi-finals of America's Got Talent last night.

And they are the top two favourites to advance to the final, according to showbiz prediction site Gold Derby.

Zerdin turned the tables on judge Howie Mandel, using a mask to turn him into a human dummy – and getting him to audition for the other judges.

The ventriloquist gave Mandel a camp high-pitched voice and made him twerk and perform Irish dancing on stage:

Meanwhile, Piff performed card tricks with the full panel of judges:

Five of the 12 acts who performed last night will go through to the final on September 15, with the results announced tonight. According to Gold Derby, Zerdin is 10/11 favourite to advance with Piff second at 11/2.

The ten finalists will compete for the top prize of $1 million, as well as their own Vegas show.

Around 10 million viewers typically tune into America's Got Talent on its initial airing.

Published: 9 Sep 2015