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Rolling Stones remember 'perfect, unique' Charlie Watts in BBC documentary

The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones pay tribute to friend and co-star Charlie Watts. (Steven Klein/BBC)

The Rolling Stones have remembered their late bandmate Charlie Watts as "perfect" and "unique" in a BBC documentary series about their lives together.

My Life As A Rolling Stone is available to watch from 2 July and is split into four episodes, with each one focussing on one band member's experiences of being some of music's biggest superstars.

Read more: Ronnie Wood says Charlie Watts would have wanted Rolling Stones to keep touring

Watts died in August 2021 aged 80, so for his episode his co-stars reflect on all of the things they loved about him and share some of their favourite memories of him - including the line drawings he made of every bed he ever slept in while on tour with the band.

Charlie Watts and Keith Richards on stage
Keith Richards called Charlie Watts 'perfect'. (WireImage)

Paying tribute to him in the final episode of the documentary series, Keith Richards says: “You can’t imagine the Stones without Charlie Watts. Charlie was the engine, the best drummer England has ever produced.”

He adds: “People like Charlie Watts are very hard to put in a pocket, they don’t make pockets for people like Charlie. He was a totally unique guy.”

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Richards also reflects on helping him through his struggles with addiction later in life, saying: “I told him: ‘It’s just not you, Charlie.'

“The main thing that really worried me about Charlie at a point was that he was drinking heavy duty cognac… If he was dabbling with other stuff I didn’t really mind, it was the booze.

The documentary focusses on a different band member each episode. (BBC)
The documentary focusses on a different band member each episode. (BBC)

“Some people are just perfect as they are. They don’t need stimulants. Us imperfections, we need help, but Charlie Watts didn’t need any, he was immaculate, an immaculate conception. Bless his heart.”

During the episode, an old audio recording features Watts explaining his habit of drawing every bed he slept in while on tour as a diary of his career, with the sketches having started in the 60s.

Ronnie Wood says: "I always said to him: ‘Charlie, you should release these, people want to see them.’ ‘Nobody wants to see these,’ and I’d say: ‘They do Charlie, it’s a real eye into your world.’

“He totally underestimated his power as a person.”

The Rolling Stones are celebrating their 60th anniversary. (BBC)
The Rolling Stones are celebrating their 60th anniversary. (BBC)

Mick Jagger also adds: “I miss Charlie on many levels… I miss him a lot.”

The series forms part of The Rolling Stones At 60 season on the BBC, as the band celebrate their 60th anniversary.

Every episode of My Life As A Rolling Stone will be available on BBC iPlayer from 2 July.

The Mick Jagger film will air on BBC Two on 2 July, with the Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards episodes following on 9 July and the Charlie Watts film completing the series later in July.

Watch: The Rolling Stones dedicate Hyde Park concert to Charlie Watts