@Tim Richards @Brian Grinter
First order of business is for me to correct my atrocious spelling of Chibnall, with thanks for you guys who knew who I was talking about anyway.

My guess is that people are always going to hate the screenwriters no matter who the Beeb puts in the saddle but what does matter is how much of the audience that is, Brian. RTD was hated by Eccleston and no other screenwriter enjoys that distinction. And yeah, Moffat had his weak moments but IMHO was an over-all great success founded on presenting moral conflicts that dug deep into the Doctor's core character.

And of course, I remain a fan of Clara, whom I feel wasn't enough of a damsel in distress because she was too clever for audience members who were looking for a damsel in distress with the exception of Missy who was at the core, male. Nobody can deny the concept of Missy was a brilliant one that never occurred to RTD. The best thing about Clara is that she was an effective match to Missy. Boo hoo on those who were expecting another mushy Rose.

I think Chibnall could have done much better than he did, but I do think that the choice of Jody was brilliant; like everyone else, I thought the choice might not live up to who Who was at his core, but she did encapsulate everything past Doctors were and was herself brilliant on delivery. I daresay the biggest problem people had with her was her gender, so boo hoo on those people as well.

I understand how fans are the biggest critics of a show, but what's important is how fan reactions are what dictated the choices made by the BBC, and therein lies the tragedy.

====edited to add the following======
One of the biggest problems I had with RTD on nearly all his first-round shows is his turning the TARDIS into a thwarting snogbox, beginning with and not limited to Rose Tyler, and I don't consider his introduction of Donna Noble as a mitigating factor; I expect Donna was the result of other viewers having a problem with female companions necessarily falling inextricably in love with the alien. Moffat, on the other hand, handled the romance bit brilliantly, apex of which was the Pond-River Song story arc. RTD can kiss my grits.