Haywood has an extensive television career which includes portraying the much put-upon Helen Brittas in the BBC One comedy series The Brittas Empire (1991–1997), Mrs Kitchen in the CITV animated series Budgie the Little Helicopter (1994-1996), Julie Chadwick in the 2007 BBC Two comedy Fear, Stress & Anger and the hot-tempered, sex-mad human resources director Joanna Clore in Green Wing (2004–2006), for which she won the "best comedy female performance" award at the 2005 Rose d'Or television festival in Lucerne, Switzerland.
[1] She has also appeared in many dramatic roles, including Jenny Thorne in the 1988 ITV drama serial The One Game, and Mrs. Upjohn in the 2008 Agatha Christie's Poirot episode "Cat Among the Pigeons".
She appeared in the 2008 ITV period drama series Lost in Austen as Amanda Price’s mother, Frankie.
In 2020 Haywood appeared in Father Brown in series eight, episode two - "The Queen Bee" - as a revenge filled murderer Eileen Slither.
She has performed on several audio dramas, including Doctor Who stories for Big Finish Productions, and the podcast Forest 404 (2019) with Pearl Mackie.
2022 saw Haywood appearing as Claire Jenkins in the TV adaptation of Anthony Horowitz's book Magpie Murders.
Recent stage credits include: House & Garden, Private Lives, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Winter's Tale, Requiem and Landscape with Weapon at the National Theatre.