I personally like RTD the most, but I still agree with most of arguments here; a lot of the scripts can be very flawed. While most of my love for the RTD era could just be nostalgia, I think he particularly excels in his characters and that’s why most people praise him. The character arc for the Doctor during that time was very emotionally investing as were Rose, Martha, Jack, and Donna’s. I think when you’re really invested in a character it’s easier to see past weird/bad plot points. A lot of that is there in Moffat/ Chibnall’s run but it doesn’t feel as precise or thought out. (Clara being on series 9 was such a last minute decision her journey that year felt like an afterthought.) These new specials are a perfect example. I think after the hype dies down the episodes are going to be critiqued (a lot of stuff in the Giggle felt a bit rushed to me) BUT there’s no way I’m forgetting scenes like Donna getting her memory back, the Doctor opening up about the Flux, and the Giggles ending anytime soon because I’m so invested in the characters! And I just didn’t feel as invested during the others runs. (More so Chibnall’s, most of Moffat’s stuff I love just as much.)

He brought the show back, I think that's why.

I agree. I think it's more the nostalgia than anything. When RTD was at the helm, Doctor Who was a huge part of my childhood, and as a child you don't really think too much into the episodes, concepts or repeated gimmicks - you're just there for the story. RTD is a brilliant character writer. At his best, each of his characters feels real and grounded in reality, no matter how much or little time they have on the screen. However, as I've now grown up, I have noticed a few issues with his writing since his return. IMHO he has become more aggressive in his writing than he was (though it might just be I notice more having grown up), in that he seems to throw in some scenes just to annoy the likes of the Daily Mail, some of which can be a bit forced. He isn't perfect, and it annoys me when people gush all over anybody without acknowledging their downsides, but then neither were Moffat or Chibnall. I personally found Moffat a little too arrogant in that would make puzzles out of his scripts. Sometimes this approach worked well, sometimes it didn't. I think a lot of more casual viewers were put off as they found his scripts overly complicated. I also found Moffat's characters to be more aloof, and less grounded in reality than those created by RTD, possibly because there was less focus on their families/jobs/lifestyles beyond the TARDIS. However, Moffat was unrivalled when it came to the monsters. As for Chibnall, I loved Broadchurch and Law & Order UK, but when it came to his writing for Doctor Who, the less said the better. However, I did like how his era focused on cities away from London, and also his wider inclusion of historical persons of colour such as Noor Inayat Khan, Mary Seacole and Rosa Parks.

Partly because he's great. Partly because whenever anybody asks "where should I start?" people turn and push them in the direction of Series 1 or Series 2. Not only are some people nostalgic, some people are now nostalgic for something they didn't even experience! That's not the reason people say he's great—that's because he is great. But it might be the reason everybody treats him like the Messiah.

I myself think Lawrence Miles and Paul Cornell wrote better stories back in the 90’s and early 2000’s.