Mastermind contestant with 'most niche specialism ever' reveals SHE knitted the TFL moquette vest she wore to answer questions on the carpet-like fabrics on the BBC show

The Mastermind contestant who went viral for having 'the most niche specialism ever' has revealed she knitted the Transport for London (TFL) moquette vest to wear to answer questions on the carpet-like fabrics.

Policy researcher Emily Medhurst competed on Friday's episode of the BBC show, and was lauded by fans for her choice of topic, as she rattled through questions on the seat materials that have become synonymous with the London Underground.

Emily has now spoken about the huge reaction to her Mastermind appearance, sharing it was her 'number one priority' to knit something moquette-inspired that she could wear on the show.

She added that her interest in the topic stemmed from her love for textiles and design, and she first began to learn more about the moquettes and their histories after an open day at Transport For London's Acton depot.

Emily earned eight points after two minutes of questions on moquettes, but went on to finish the night in third place. Customer service adviser Donald Campbell, who chose the films of Paul Newman as his specialist subject, won the night

She said: 'I've always been interested in textiles and design, and growing up in London I loved TFL. 

'I went to an open day at the Acton Depot a few years ago, and they had a stand about moquette, and I was like ''wow this is the perfect marriage of my two interests,'' so I just got a bit more interested in it, and then when I went on the show it was a really good opportunity to dive into the topic'.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today Show, she added: 'I think it was a bit of a slow blossoming interest, and I think it's, once you realise it's there, you realise how much unique design there is across the network. 

'In the seats, and in the posters and everything, and it's really fun to kind of see the variation across the whole network.'

Emily's vest was inspired by the moquettes that feature on London Overground lines, and she said she immediately knew she wanted to knit something when she learned she would be competing on the show.

She added: 'That was my number one priority, when I was told I was going to be on the show, was to knit something to wear.

'It took precedence over the revision a bit!'

Fans lauded Emily's Mastermind appearance after a clip of her specialist round went viral on TikTok.

They wrote: 'Christ there's niche subjects, then there's that.

'Nice touch that she even had a jumper to match the topic; Wearing one of the answers is a flex;'

'Don't wanna brag but she's in my knit club; This is what niche actually means btw;'

'This is so British it's unbelievable, I didn't know there was 2 minutes worth of moquette information.'

Even Transport for London showed their appreciation, commenting: 'Most iconic specialist subject ever.'

Emily went on to finish in third place after only scoring eight more points during her General Knowledge round.

Last month it was revealed that BBC bosses have axed the Celebrity version of Mastermind as part of their huge cost-cutting measures.

The corporation is facing huge funding challenges, which meant that Live At The Apollo and Blankety Blank have also been dropped. 

A BBC spokesman has said they are facing a 'really tough' time and are having to cut costs in the Entertainment industry. 

The main Mastermind series will continue, with Clive Myrie remaining as host, but the celebrity spin-off will end after the next series, which has already been filmed.

Viewing figures for all three shows have fallen over recent years. Celebrity Mastermind dropped from an average of 4million viewers in 2017, to 1.7million for its most recent series.

Blankety Blank, which Bradley Walsh recently quit as the host, has gone down from 5.5million viewers in 2021 to 2.3million for the most recent series.

Meanwhile Live At The Apollo has gone down from 1.3million viewers in 2018 to around 660,000 on its most recent series. These figures include catch-up platforms such as iPlayer.

In a statement, the BBC said: 'Unfortunately we have to make some really tough choices in light of our funding challenges, and these savings have been identified from the Entertainment genre.

'These difficult decisions form part of the BBC's previously announced first phase of its proposals to make £500m of savings over the next three years.

'BBC Content has a target of delivering a minimum of £100m of recurring annual savings which will result in a reduction of around 100-150 hours of originated TV programmes across genres by the end of 2027/28.'

The corporation added that further savings across its content division will be announced in the coming months.

Celebrity Mastermind launched in 2002 and has also been presented by Magnus Magnusson and John Humphrys.

It was a spin-off from the main Mastermind series that launched three decades earlier and saw members of the public answer questions on general knowledge as well as a specialist subject.

The BBC added: 'We will still continue to commission ambitious Entertainment shows and invest in distinctive UK content from a wide range of independent production companies of all sizes.'

The corporation also said it would 'prioritise digital innovation that can serve fans of these shows and beyond'.

The move forms part of the broadcaster's bid to save £500million over the next three years, with around 700 corporate roles also expected to disappear as the corporation embarks on a major restructuring programme.

The BBC reports that an email sent to staff by the interim chief executive officer of BBC News Jonathan Munro has outlined the jobs and programmes affected, with The World Tonight among the first victims of the planned cuts.

The 45-minute weekday news programme will be axed after 56 years on air, while the presenters on BBC Radio 4's Today programme will be reduced from five to four.

Mr Munro said the proposals include 200 job losses in the news division resulting in savings of £25million, according to the BBC.

Other plans in the announcement include TV production at weekends being shared across the News Channel and BBC One bulletins.

Broadcast TV channels and the radio network portfolio will also be reviewed as audiences move online.

The corporation will also review its chief news presenter roles.

Those roles include Clive Myrie, Ben Brown, Sally Bundock and Geeta Guru-Murthy.

Victoria Derbyshire and Faisal Islam are also chief presenters on Newsnight, while Jon Kay and Sally Nugent are chief presenters on BBC Breakfast.

Around 100 to 150 hours of originated programmes across all commissioning genres will be reduced by the end of the 2027 to 2028 financial year.

The BBC also reported that it plans to reduce between 350 and 400 hours in audio across stations and genres whilst the News Channel will shift toward an international focus in hopes of broadening its audience outside the UK.