Charlie Watts says he's up for a Rolling Stones reunion

Charlie Watts, who at age 70 is the eldest current member of The Rolling Stones, recently told BBC 6 Music that he hopes the legendary band can regroup in celebration of its 50th anniversary.

"It would be lovely [in 2012] to do some shows because it will be 50 years," the drummer said in an interview that first aired on Christmas Day.

"Ronnie [Wood] plays, I still play, Mick [Jagger] sings, he can do it anyway, I think Keith [Richards] is doing some records," he added.

The Stones haven't toured since their "A Bigger Bang" tour, which ran from 2005 to 2007 and grossed more than $558 million worldwide, according to figures released to the media by tour producer Michael Cohl. The outing drew nearly 4.7 million fans to 144 shows.

There have been consistent rumors that the band will tour this year in commemoration of their golden anniversary. In November, Keith Richards told Rolling Stone that he, Watts and Wood were planning to jam together in London later that month. "Mick's welcome, and I'm sure he'll turn up, but right now we just want to get our chops down," Richards said at the time.

In the BBC interview, Watts didn't mention any band rehearsals, but said he's all for making a tour happen.

"Anyway it would be great if we did, we are just getting to an age where it's getting a bit difficult to get it together and it's such a bloody performance getting us together."

July 20 will mark the 50th anniversary of the Stones' first gig, and Richards seems to have taken the lead in trying to pull the band together in some fashion. However, Jagger evidently is reluctant to embark on a typical Rolling Stones tour extravaganza.

"I don't see why in the world the Stones can't put together some kind of show next year," Richards told Rolling Stone last November. "I'd almost count on it. It doesn't have to be the whole spectacle bullshit again, but we've got to find our own way through this."

Richards has said he's amenable to a major tour but, as time passes, a one-off show or perhaps a limited number gigs in major cities are beginning to look more likely than a major outing.