diff --git a/docs/architecture/workspace-dashboard.md b/docs/architecture/workspace-dashboard.md
index 7df6c53f4..c06c43c94 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/workspace-dashboard.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/workspace-dashboard.md
@@ -108,7 +108,12 @@ once):
    recently watched channels) whose EPG answer has a title;
 3. one favourite movie/series and one Xtream recently-added title;
 4. remaining places round-robin over the next items of those lists;
-5. only when nothing qualifies, the newest history row of any kind.
+5. only when nothing qualifies, the newest history row of any kind (a
+   detail action: it can be a finished title).
+
+While live candidates exist but none has answered yet, one place stays
+reserved for the live slide, so its late arrival never evicts a slide the
+user may be viewing.
 
 The live candidates are derived and pinned by `DashboardLiveEpgPresenter`
 itself (XMLTV lookup and portal queue), independent of the live rails, so the
@@ -119,7 +124,8 @@ extras (backdrop, rating, genres, overview, year) come from
 `DashboardHeroTmdbService` per featured title and vanish when TMDB is off.
 
 Rotation is the active dot's CSS fill animation (8 s); its `animationend`
-advances. Hover, focus inside the hero and the pause button pause it; under
+advances. Hover, focus inside the hero and the pause button pause it; an
+explicit Play clears the hover/focus pause until they re-arm; under
 `prefers-reduced-motion` nothing auto-advances. The active slide is tracked
 by id, so a late live slide never moves the user off the current one. Test
 hooks: `dashboard-hero`, `dashboard-hero-slide` (`data-hero-kind`),
diff --git a/libs/workspace/dashboard/feature/src/lib/rails/dashboard-hero-slides.presenter.ts b/libs/workspace/dashboard/feature/src/lib/rails/dashboard-hero-slides.presenter.ts
index 10f710682..9321cac0a 100644
--- a/libs/workspace/dashboard/feature/src/lib/rails/dashboard-hero-slides.presenter.ts
+++ b/libs/workspace/dashboard/feature/src/lib/rails/dashboard-hero-slides.presenter.ts
@@ -107,6 +107,7 @@ export class DashboardHeroSlidesPresenter {
                         )
                 ),
             live: this.liveSlide()?.candidate ?? null,
+            reserveLive: this.liveEpg.heroLiveCandidates().length > 0,
             favorites: this.data
                 .globalFavoriteItems()
                 .filter(
diff --git a/libs/workspace/dashboard/feature/src/lib/rails/dashboard-hero-slides.utils.spec.ts b/libs/workspace/dashboard/feature/src/lib/rails/dashboard-hero-slides.utils.spec.ts
index ec88fc0ed..e5e9f4119 100644
--- a/libs/workspace/dashboard/feature/src/lib/rails/dashboard-hero-slides.utils.spec.ts
+++ b/libs/workspace/dashboard/feature/src/lib/rails/dashboard-hero-slides.utils.spec.ts
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ const input = (
 ): DashboardHeroSourceInput => ({
     continueItems: [],
     live: null,
+    reserveLive: false,
     favorites: [],
     recentlyAdded: [],
     mostRecent: null,
@@ -137,6 +138,42 @@ describe('pickDashboardHeroSources', () => {
         ]);
     });
 
+    it('keeps a place for a pending live slide so its arrival evicts nothing', () => {
+        const lists = {
+            continueItems: [recent(1), recent(2)],
+            favorites: [favorite(10)],
+            recentlyAdded: [added(20)],
+        };
+        const pending = summary(
+            pickDashboardHeroSources(input({ ...lists, reserveLive: true }))
+        );
+        const arrived = summary(
+            pickDashboardHeroSources(
+                input({
+                    ...lists,
+                    reserveLive: true,
+                    live: { origin: 'favorite', item: favorite(50, 'live') },
+                })
+            )
+        );
+
+        expect(pending).toEqual([
+            'continue:recent-1',
+            'favorite:favorite-10',
+            'added:added-20',
+        ]);
+        // Every slide shown before the live answer is still there after it.
+        expect(arrived).toEqual([
+            'continue:recent-1',
+            'live:favorite-50',
+            'favorite:favorite-10',
+            'added:added-20',
+        ]);
+        expect(
+            summary(pickDashboardHeroSources(input({ ...lists })))
+        ).toHaveLength(HERO_SLIDE_LIMIT);
+    });
+
     it('falls back to the newest history row only when nothing else qualifies', () => {
         const channel = recent(70, 'live');
         expect(
diff --git a/libs/workspace/dashboard/feature/src/lib/rails/dashboard-hero-slides.utils.ts b/libs/workspace/dashboard/feature/src/lib/rails/dashboard-hero-slides.utils.ts
index b9b9f46a2..22dae216f 100644
--- a/libs/workspace/dashboard/feature/src/lib/rails/dashboard-hero-slides.utils.ts
+++ b/libs/workspace/dashboard/feature/src/lib/rails/dashboard-hero-slides.utils.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,12 @@ export interface DashboardHeroSourceInput {
     readonly continueItems: readonly PortalRecentItem[];
     /** The channel picked for the live slide, when one has a programme on air. */
     readonly live: DashboardHeroLiveCandidate | null;
+    /**
+     * Channels exist that could still fill the live slide (their EPG answer
+     * may be pending). Its place is then kept free, so the slide arriving
+     * late never pushes another one out from under the user.
+     */
+    readonly reserveLive: boolean;
     /** Favourite movies/series. */
     readonly favorites: readonly PortalFavoriteItem[];
     readonly recentlyAdded: readonly PortalAddedItem[];
@@ -89,15 +95,21 @@ export function selectDashboardHeroLiveCandidates(
  * then one favourite and one recent import; remaining places go to the next
  * unfinished title, favourite and import in turn. A title never appears
  * twice, and the order is stable so a slide arriving late (the live slide
- * waits for its EPG answer) slots in without reshuffling the rest.
+ * waits for its EPG answer) slots in without reshuffling the rest. While
+ * live candidates exist, one place stays reserved for the live slide, so
+ * its arrival never evicts a slide the user may be viewing.
  */
 export function pickDashboardHeroSources(
     input: DashboardHeroSourceInput
 ): DashboardHeroSource[] {
     const seen = new Set<string>();
     const sources: DashboardHeroSource[] = [];
+    const limit =
+        input.reserveLive && !input.live
+            ? HERO_SLIDE_LIMIT - 1
+            : HERO_SLIDE_LIMIT;
     const push = (source: DashboardHeroSource | null) => {
-        if (!source || sources.length >= HERO_SLIDE_LIMIT) {
+        if (!source || sources.length >= limit) {
             return;
         }
         const key = dashboardHeroItemKey(source.item);
@@ -125,7 +137,7 @@ export function pickDashboardHeroSources(
     push(favoriteAt(0));
     push(addedAt(0));
     // Ends once every list has run out; duplicates only skip a place.
-    for (let index = 1; sources.length < HERO_SLIDE_LIMIT; index++) {
+    for (let index = 1; sources.length < limit; index++) {
         const next = [continueAt(index), favoriteAt(index), addedAt(index)];
         if (next.every((source) => source === null)) {
             break;
diff --git a/libs/workspace/dashboard/feature/src/lib/rails/dashboard-hero.component.spec.ts b/libs/workspace/dashboard/feature/src/lib/rails/dashboard-hero.component.spec.ts
index 26ac48682..c05b4250f 100644
--- a/libs/workspace/dashboard/feature/src/lib/rails/dashboard-hero.component.spec.ts
+++ b/libs/workspace/dashboard/feature/src/lib/rails/dashboard-hero.component.spec.ts
@@ -145,6 +145,27 @@ describe('DashboardHeroComponent', () => {
         expect(activeTitle()).toBe('Second');
     });
 
+    it('resumes on Play even while the button keeps the pointer and focus', () => {
+        render();
+        const section = host().querySelector(
+            '[data-test-id=dashboard-hero]'
+        ) as HTMLElement;
+        const pause = host().querySelector(
+            '[data-test-id=dashboard-hero-pause]'
+        ) as HTMLButtonElement;
+        section.dispatchEvent(new Event('mouseenter'));
+        section.dispatchEvent(new FocusEvent('focusin'));
+
+        pause.click();
+        fixture.detectChanges();
+        pause.click();
+        fixture.detectChanges();
+
+        expect(section.classList).not.toContain('hero--paused');
+        finishActiveDot();
+        expect(activeTitle()).toBe('Second');
+    });
+
     it('switches slides from the dots, with roving arrow keys', () => {
         render();
 
diff --git a/libs/workspace/dashboard/feature/src/lib/rails/dashboard-hero.component.ts b/libs/workspace/dashboard/feature/src/lib/rails/dashboard-hero.component.ts
index caf610c52..a92e5fd0c 100644
--- a/libs/workspace/dashboard/feature/src/lib/rails/dashboard-hero.component.ts
+++ b/libs/workspace/dashboard/feature/src/lib/rails/dashboard-hero.component.ts
@@ -128,7 +128,16 @@ export class DashboardHeroComponent {
     }
 
     togglePaused(): void {
-        this.userPaused.update((paused) => !paused);
+        if (!this.userPaused()) {
+            this.userPaused.set(true);
+            return;
+        }
+        // An explicit Play wins over the implicit pauses: the pointer and
+        // the focus are on this very button, so they would otherwise keep
+        // the rotation stopped. They re-arm on the next enter / focus move.
+        this.userPaused.set(false);
+        this.hovered.set(false);
+        this.focusWithin.set(false);
     }
 
     setHovered(hovered: boolean): void {