Nigella's £2,000 lure

Nigella Lawson's culinary skills alone would appear to be inducement enough.

But just in case any celebrities have any doubts about appearing on her new ITV food and chat show, they are being offered an unprecedented appearance fee of up to £2,000.

The promise of cash marks a significant escalation in the perennial war of the daytime TV sofas.

Rivals such as Richard and Judy, GMTV and BBC's Breakfast have always refused to pay stars - who normally fall over themselves to plug their latest project.

As well as the handsome payment for 75 minutes of their time, guests are being told that they will be 'spoilt rotten' and given 'the full VIP treatment'.

In e-mail messages to their representatives, they are promised their hands will be massaged and they will receive a goodie bag of luxury products chosen by the Domestic Goddess - as well as the chance to eat what she cooks.

Among those expected to appear on the kitchen set are Stephen Fry, Boris Johnson and Jane Seymour. Others being lined up include Sir Elton John, Brooke Shields and Friends star David Schwimmer.

Nor will the studio audience miss out on the goodies. To create a lively, raucous atmosphere they will be plied with wine and given a chance to win prizes - 'anything from funky kitchen gadgets to luxurious holidays'.

One TV insider said: 'This is really going to up the stakes in the sofa wars. GMTV and Richard and Judy won't have guests who have already appeared on another daytime show. So ITV are obviously hoping the £2,000 will be the clincher for someone deciding whether to appear on Nigella or elsewhere.'

A source on a rival programme said: 'We would never pay our star guests. They want to be on the show because of our audience. All they get by way of inducement is a croissant and a cup of tea.'

Nigella, 45, is understood to be earning up to £100,000 for the show, which starts next Monday and is scheduled to run for a month on weekday afternoons at 1.30. She will interview guests while rustling up a meal and dispensing advice on everything from handbags to parenting.

It is the first British TV programme she has made in two years following the death of her husband, the journalist John Diamond.

The mother of two, who is now married to art collector and advertising guru Charles Saatchi, is hoping the chatshow will help reinvent her as more than simply a 'TV chef'. An ITV spokesman yesterday said the amount of money being offered guests depended on their 'stature'.

'We have no set fee,' she said, adding that the programme was not interested only in celebrities who were 'plugging something'. The programme makers had also cancelled plans to give hand massages to guests, she said.