Badly worded topic, I know, but I happened to see Rose (i.e episode 1) and couldn't help but feel that it was perhaps more akin to the old, pre-revival days of the show than it is to what we have now. In tone, production values, quality of acting in some places (good old Noel Clarke still visibly finding his feet), story simplicity, picture quality and even a lot of the score.

Of course it was a decade ago and standards have improved across TV in general since then, so a sizeable difference is to be expected. I just found it interesting, given that it was touted at the time as being so superior to Classic Who in most of those areas, to now see it as so dated. Not that it has lost any charm at all, mind you.

Anyone else gone back to the earliest days of the show and found themselves thinking along those lines?

I think production wise and with regards to all things aesthetic the show now has never looked or felt further away from its beginnings. It is cinematic and grander looking in a way even the first series of RTD would only have dreamed of, So that certainly causes a disconnect between the eras.
Story wise? Im not sure. I would say it varies. I agree that something like Rose has a rather Classic Who feel but then so did Before the Flood whereas Tooth and Claw feels very little like Classic Who to me.

Also though you need to take into account the differences between Classic eras themselves. i think some of RTD Who has the look and feel of Eighties Classic (brighter and more garish visually and a clearly defined 'modern' feel and striving to be very contemporary) whereas alot of Moffats era feels more in line with the Hinchcliffe/Holmes years both in tone and type of story it tells (darker and more sombre with roots in classic horror and mystery as well as sci-fi).

Good post thanks, yes I say "Classic Who" but what I really had in mind, at least in terms of the tone of Rose, was around the area of the 80s.

Yeah I agree, Theres a definite through line from say Sevens era to Nines. And I dont mean that as a way to damn it with faint praise. Theres alot to like about both. I definitely think the first season finale of New Who feels conceptually and in some of its execution like something plucked straight from the JNT era.

I think that finale might be my single favourite episode of the show. It's a near perfect 45 minutes of TV IMO.

Its brilliant. Episode 2 in particular. Theres just something very JNT about the tv show concept and the way its executed. Obviously the shows are contemporary but it has a distinct 'The Happiness Patrol' and 'Greatest Show in the Galaxy' feel to it.