A Mastermind contestant has wowed viewers with what is being dubbed the “most iconic specialist subject ever”.

Policy researcher Emily Medhurst competed on the BBC quiz show in which contestants must answer a series of general knowledge questions but also a round of questions on a specialised subject of their choosing.

For Medhurst’s specialist subject, she opted for Transport for London moquette, the iconic patterned upholstery seen on London buses and Tube trains – some designs of which have featured local landmarks and history.

Medhurst did well in her round, correctly answering eight questions in two minutes, taking only one pass and getting just three questions wrong. She answered questions about famous moquette designers, iconic patterns, and the London Tube lines that have featured specific designs.

Questions included, “Which design, depicting landmarks such as the dome of St Paul’s and The London Eye, is named after the Publicity Manager who commissioned moquettes for London Transport in the 1930s?”, with the answer being “Barman”. Medhurst was also asked which underground line featured “a branded moquette featuring lines of classification headings from the Yellow Pages telephone directory” in the 1990s – other moquette boffs will know that the answer is the Circle line.

In a viral clip shared by the BBC after the episode aired on 17 August, fans praised Medhurst for choosing what they dubbed the “most niche special subject in Mastermind history”.

“Most iconic specialist subject ever,” the official account for Transport for London gushed.

Others spotted that Medhurst was even wearing a knitted vest based on a moquette design: “Nice touch that she even had a jumper to match the topic,” one fan said.

“Don’t wanna brag but she’s in my knit club,” another viewer commented, while another joked: “Wearing one of the answers is a flex.”

“Intelligence is sexy,” one viewer said, as another fan agreed: “This is so hot.”

As the British Transport Museum website explains, “moquette” comes from the French word for carpet and is produced on looms using the Jacquard weaving technique, with a pile typically blending 85 per cent wool and 15 per cent nylon.

It was chosen for public transport due to its hard-wearing and durable nature, as well as because of its colour and patterns that helped disguise signs of dirt, wear and tear. The first moquette was used in London’s public transport systems in the twenties – a pattern called Lozenge made by Firth Furnishings in 1923.

By the 1930s, moquette had become an iconic design feature, with renowned textile designers including Paul Nash and Enid Marx commissioned by London Transport to produce exclusive designs.

Sadly Medhurst didn’t fare well enough to win the episode, but still did well with a total of 16 points.

The contest was won by customer service advisor Donald Campbell, who chose the films of Paul Newman as his specialist subject.

Mastermind, hosted by Clive Myrie, airs each Monday on BBC Two at 7.30pm.