The character was not originally written for a little person and the producers worked with Little People UK, a charity founded by Davis' parents, in order to ensure that Lacey was portrayed authentically.

Davis worked on developing Lacey's characterisation and wanted to ensure that the character was portrayed correctly as she felt that it was important to represent minorities on TV in order to raise awareness.

Her introduction scenes showed Lacey attend an awkward job interview for James Nightingale's (Gregory Finnegan) law firm and move into a house share with Rayne and several other characters.

The decision to introduce Lacey and Rayne was part of the producers' idea to throwback to the earlier years of the soap, where students would live together under one roof.

In December 2022, it was announced that Annabelle Davis, who had appeared in The Dumping Ground between 2015 and 2022, would be debuting on Hollyoaks as Lacey Lloyd, a paralegal who would share the same house as established characters Prince McQueen (Malique Thompson-Dwyer), Romeo Nightingale (Owen Warner) and Nadira Valli (Ashling O'Shea).

[1][2] The news came two months after the announcement of the casting of Jemma Donovan as Rayne Royce, Lacey's best friend who would also move into house.

[3] The decision to introduce Lacey and Rayne was part of the producers' idea to "throwback" to the earlier years of Hollyoaks, where students would live together under the same roof.

[11] Davis had previously shared a flat with her The Dumping Ground co-star Emily Burnett, who portrayed Olivia Bradshaw on Hollyoaks from 2021 to 2022.

[12] Davis was also glad to be working with Malique Thompson-Dwyer again as he had briefly appeared in an episode of The Dumping Ground years prior.

[10] Comparing the two shows, Davis explained that Hollyoaks gave her the chance to explore "more adult topics", but noted that the "main difference" is that "the scale of a soap is a whole machine of its own", which she admitted she is still "learning the pace" of.

[13] Due to Lacey working in law, Davis spent time learning legal terminology to help her with the role.

"[15] Hollyoaks producers worked with the charity Little People UK, founded by Davis' parents, to ensure that Lacey came across as a "well-rounded character".

[10] Davis believed that soaps present minority groups as normal people, saying that Lacey "is a girl that's applied for a job.

"[16]Prior to their first scenes, Johnathon Hughes from Inside Soap teased that Lacey and Rayne "work hard" but "play even harder" and that they would "take the village by storm".

[10] Hughes also wrote that Lacey wants to be a "hot-shot lawyer" and questioned whether moving to Hollyoaks could make her dream come true.

[17] Stefania Sarrubba from Radio Times had questioned whether Lacey would impress James with her "idealistic views", but speculated that the two would "find some common ground".

[10] However, Lacey stands up for herself in the end and gives James something to "really think about" when she talks about how people with disabilities in some workplaces "aren't looked at in the way they should be".

"[14] One of the plots of the episode involved Maxine seeking Lacey's legal advice due to her daughter, Minnie Minniver (Eva Lorente), who has Downs Syndrome, not being allowed to take part in swimming lessons, which leads to Lacey, who has faced similar problems growing up, representing the case and educating the leisure centre.

[14] Melissa Parker from Radio Times commented on the plot, writing "By stripping back these simple moments and echoing reality, the focus is placed on the core of humanity, staring you right in the face and highlighting the profound impact of discrimination and stigma.

[21][22] Months later, Lacey is a catalyst for an ongoing feud between James and the McQueen family when Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe) finds "an ally" in Lacey, who "vows" to help move Mercedes' son, Bobby Costello (Jayden Fox) to another children's home on the condition that James will not find out.

[23] When James does find out, he orders Lacey to get back to work, as he did not want to help Bobby due to the fact that he murdered his colleague Verity Hutchinson (Eva O'Hara).

[9] Davis explained that Lacey has stayed loyal to Rayne due to the fact that they have grown up together, calling them "family friends" and noting that they are more like sisters, adding, "It's the unconditional love for someone that helps you always see the good in them.

[31] When Lacey and Nadira tell Rayne about their relationship in a Post-credits scene, she pretends to be pleased for them but it is revealed to viewers that she is secretly unhappy about it.

[33] Lacey is shown to be hiding a secret and answers a "mysterious" phone call, which leads to a suspicious Nadira confronting her over why she is acting strangely.

[50] Davis was surprised when she learnt that Lacey and Nadira would get a "happy ending" and enjoyed filming the scenes with O'Shea, calling it "really lovely".

[43] O'Shea revealed that she initially felt conflicted when Lacey returned, but was happy that Nadira got to "ride off into the sunset in a really now healthy and kind relationship".

[43] Lacey comes to Hollyoaks for an awkward job interview with James Nightingale (Gregory Finnegan) at his law firm.

Lacey and her best friend, Rayne Royce (Jemma Donovan), move into a flatshare with Prince McQueen (Malique Thompson-Dwyer), Romeo Nightingale (Owen Warner) and Nadira Valli (Ashling O'Shea).

After the sunglasses are found, the video reveals that Romeo was the one who killed Rayne in self-defence, and Lacey tries to convince him to do the right thing and hand himself in.

[6] Patterson expressed support for Lacey and Nadira following these scene where they admit that they like each other, calling it a "Cutness overload" and writing ""Now down to the serious stuff.