2010: Jeremy Clarkson on "Top Gear" controversy

In the end, it was "Top Gear" host Jeremy Clarkson's off-screen behavior that got him fired from the hit BBC car show -- and not his controversial on-screen antics.

The BBC announced Wednesday that Clarkson's been sacked for physically and verbally assaulting a "Top Gear" producer while working on location, according to a BBC investigation.

"If you start to pay attention to everybody's concerns, you end up with something bland and boring. So, you sort of have to ignore everybody in order to do the show how we want to do it."

In 2010, when Steve Kroft profiled the wildly successful show for 60 Minutes, Clarkson's often-outrageous comments were a key topic. "The show manages to careen into controversy almost every week, usually for something Clarkson said," Kroft reported. "He's offended everyone from the prime minister to truck drivers."

Regarding criticism, Clarkson told Kroft he tries to ignore it. "If you start to pay attention to everybody's concerns, you end up with something bland and boring. So, you sort of have to ignore everybody in order to do the show how we want to do it."

While Clarkson is out, "Top Gear" will live on -- but it remains to be seen whether fans will find it "bland and boring."

Watch Kroft's 2010 report, "Top Gear," in the video player above.