She hates almost all of the wing governors, usually the younger female ones, with her friend Jim Fenner being her favourite choice to hold the position.
Despite her hostility towards the prisoners, two escaped inmates Bev Tull (Amanda Barrie) and Phyl Oswyn (Stephanie Beacham) saved her from being murdered by Dr Nicholson (Philip McGough).
She is in trouble with Governor Karen Betts (Claire King) after she places a mental patient, "Mad" Tessa Spall (Helen Schlesinger), onto G-Wing, believing her to be Barbara "Babs" Hunt (Isabelle Amyes), whom she sends to the psychiatric unit, which the prisoners refer to as the "muppet wing".
She and her husband, Bobby, (Geoffrey Hutchings) later celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary in the Prison Officers' Club, where a drink spiked with ecstasy causes her to reveal her true feelings to him.
Later that night, her close friend Jim Fenner (Jack Ellis) is stabbed in the stomach by Shell Dockley (Debra Stephenson).
When Sylvia returns home, they take her hostage and force her to dress as a French maid and serve them cocaine on a tray.
As the police arrive, Shell and Denny make a run for it in Bobby's hearse and leave to go to Spain with false passports.
The call is traced and Shell and Denny are arrested on a boat; however, they make one last escape and jump into the sea, being presumed dead afterwards.
Sylvia is overjoyed when she discovers Denny and Shell were never found in the sea, and believed to be dead; she and Bobby holiday in the same place where they "died".
Sylvia's worst fears become reality, as Shell is found alive and heavily pregnant in Amsterdam; she is extradited back to G-Wing.
Sylvia finally gets some good news when she discovers that her Aunt Margaret has died and left her a palatial, antique-stuffed house in Hampstead in her will.
They later get married, and honeymoon on the Costa del Sol, unaware that Phyl and Bev, who recently escaped from Larkhall are staying in the hotel room next door.
Just as they are about to exit the hotel, Sylvia appears on the balcony screaming, leading to a startled Bev to drop the diamonds, and she is violently arrested.
That Christmas, new Governing Governor of Larkhall, Joy Masterton (Ellie Haddington), orders for all the staff to come to work in fancy dress.
When they return indoors from the freezing cold snow storm outside, Joy then gives Sylvia orders to find Chaplain Christy Mackay (Gaynor Howe), who has been murdered in the shower by new inmate Miranda Miles (Nicola Redmond).
Sylvia's screams alert the entire prison, leading to Joy and Kevin Spiers (Andrew Scarborough) to investigate.
She is unaware that evil inmate Natalie Buxton (Dannielle Brent) was recently killed and her body dumped in the prison sewers.
She later makes peace with her son and gives the prisoners a happy Christmas, but tells them not to get too used to her good nature, as it's "business as usual" tomorrow.