Pop Idol judge Nicki Chapman has been signed up by the BBC to front a series of daytime shows, according to The Sun today.

The nine-month deal, worth up to £500,000, includes a daily live magazine show to rival ITV1's This Morning. She is also expected to host Escape to the Sun, a new series about ex-pats living in Florida, and will fill in for Matthew Kelly on City Hospital when he is away filming Stars In Their Eyes.

"This is a real coup for the BBC, said Alison Sharman, head of BBC Daytime. "Nicki is brilliant. She’s very warm and down to earth but she’s really savvy."

As part of the contract, she'll still be allowed to work in ITV peaktime, chiefly freeing her up for the second series of Pop Idol next year. She'll also keep her role as creative director of 19 Management.