I don't know what's happened to RTD. His first 2 doctors were really well written. Even in the cheesiest episodes they were still fantastic. Ncuti is great when he gets something to stick his teeth into, and I like Belinda, but I don't know if the Disney influence is showing. 8 episodes is a very American streaming thing, and after the writers strike there are all kinds of concessions about writers rooms and bonuses after a certain number of episodes.
I don't know. I think 13 episodes would give the whole season time to breath, and we'd be able to explore the whole "Gods" thing better. There doesn't seem time for any character driven stories now like Fathers day or Turn Left or Midnight. It's all silly robots, space babies and flashy graphics.