Following Lancashire's success in connecting with a television audience, ITV sought to secure her exclusively to their network in a two-year golden handcuffs deal, which was finalised in July 2000. Lancashire became the first actress to be given such a contract with ITV. The deal, worth £1.3 million, made Lancashire the highest-paid actress in British Television. Discussing the exclusive signing ITV controller of drama Nick Elliott identified Lancashire as being someone with "a great range creates a tremendous empathy with an audience". He also admitted that heavy interest in Lancashire from the BBC had been a factor in giving her the contract, and blocking her from working with other networks. Her last role on BBC One during this period was comedy drama "Gentleman's Relish", an adaptation of the Miles Gibson novel "Kingdom Swann". The television film, which aired on New Year's Day 2001, was Lancashire's first in the costume drama genre; she played a housekeeper harbouring romantic feelings for her employer (Billy Connolly).