Joyce's initial storyline revolved around her move to Albert Square, which she is not happy about, and her interactions with other characters, such as Dot Cotton (June Brown) and the new Taylor family.

It was later announced that Steed had been written out of EastEnders and Joyce made her final appearance on 30 March 2018, when the character was killed-off in her sleep.

The aftermath of her death included the exploration of Ted's grief and the introduction of their daughter, Judith Thompson (Emma Fielding).

Joyce received a mixed reception from viewers and critics, and the character's decision to take the blame for Johnny's shooting was criticised.

"[1][3][5] Steed revealed that she was "incredibly excited" to be joining "such a well-established" soap opera, and she was happy to be working with Timothy, who she believed was a "terrific actor" whom she would have a lot of "fun" with.

[6] Speaking to Woman's Weekly following Joyce's debut, Steed revealed that she was enjoying her time at EastEnders and felt lucky to have come into the show with Timothy "as a pair", commenting that they were "joined at the hip".

[8] She did not reveal much more about her character as she believed that giving away too much information about EastEnders is a worse crime than a minister leaving his "papers in a taxi!

[6] Steed told What to Watch that Joyce "can get worried and frightened about things, but I think when push comes to shove she can be pretty strong as well".

[9] The pair remember her as they used to be neighbours years ago and Joyce believes that Dot was "always poking her nose in" and does not seem interested in getting reacquainted.

[10] They then move into their new home and meet Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), who wastes "no time" introducing herself: however, spoilers indicated that things would go "downhill" for the couple when Joyce discovers that Ted has brought a piece of their "past" with them and has broken their promise of a fresh start.

[21] However, Joyce's cover-up is exposed when Johnny's "furious" mother Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) discovers the truth, so she and Mick confront the Murrays to get answers over what happened.

[22] Joyce, realising that the Carters are owed an explanation, tells them how Ted's traumatic past in the army is affecting his behaviour and Mick takes pity on the couple.

[22] The Carters forgive the Murrays and Johnny makes a full recovery and shows support to Joyce and Ted as their court date of sentencing looms, with the couple bracing themselves to learn their fates.

[23] On 22 March 2018, it was reported that Steed had left EastEnders and that Joyce would be killed-off in her sleep, leaving Ted devastated "heartbroken", after producers decided to write the character out.

[26] A BBC insider teased, "Joyce's time on the Square has been a brief one and, after her death, Ted will come out of his shell a bit and viewers will see more of him.

[34][32] He struggles to cope with the "enormity of his loss", and Bernie is a "mountain of support" and tries to help him by making arrangements for Joyce's funeral and encouraging him to tell his children about their mother's death.

[36] He considers burning the second letter as he is struggling with his memories of his late wife, but he ends up opening it and is left "shellshocked" when he finds out Joyce had bought him tickets to start a new life in Australia, which they had discussed the previous year.

Ted and Joyce meet their friend Joan Murfield (Eileen Davies), who talks about a "neighbours from hell" family that has caused her to have a nervous breakdown.

Johnny's mother, Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), is furious at the couple and Ted is later arrested for the shooting whilst Joyce is charged with perverting the course of justice.

The couple pack a bag to prepare for prison, but they are relieved when they only receive community service due to Ted's psychiatric report and a letter Johnny wrote in their defence.

Joyce is happy when Ted forms a bond with Karen's daughter Bernadette Taylor (Clair Norris) and teaches her how to play chess, but becomes frustrated that it is taking over his time.

She was there for less than 12 months, and most of that time she was stressing about her noisy neighbours, worrying about gun-toting Ted, or waiting for son Alan to call from Australia – which he never did.

"[33] Following the announcement of Stead and Timothy's casting, Megan Davies from Digital Spy questioned whether Ted and Joyce would be another "disgruntled couple" in EastEnders.

[1] Daniel Falconer from Female First wrote that EastEnders was continuing to "add to its roster of incredible talent" by casting Timothy and Stead, who he called "two icons of British stage and screen".

"[40] Tyler later wrote that she enjoyed watching Joyce "frantically scrubbing at her invisible bloodstain", comparing her to "Lady Macbeth if she'd been able to lay her hands on a bottle of Cillit Bang".

[42] Rianne Houghton from Digital Spy was confused about why Joyce lied to the police that she shot Johnny instead of Ted, wondering what "on earth is going on" with the couple.

[21] She reported that viewers were expressing their frustration and "downright" confusion on Twitter over this decision, which she believed was "understandable" as Joyce did not do the shooting.

[27] Emma Costello from RSVP Live believed that Steed and Timothy "clearly have not wowed bosses enough with their performances" due to the fact that Joyce had killed-off.

[31] She wrote that viewers "felt for Ted", who was wondering what had happened to cause Joyce's "shock" death "considering she seemed fine just moments before".

[29] In April 2018, the Belfast Telegraph and Laura Harding from the Irish Independent reported how viewers were "in tears" over Ted's final farewell to Joyce following her memorial.