Season 7 in particular felt a lot likeGenerally I think this is the case. The whole 'condensed storytelling' thing felt very off when I first watched season 7, and this time around it still felt off (even if I was a little more okay with it simply because i knew it was coming). But the show absolutely needs two-parters to work in certain parts of the seasons. Some changes can be good. The show got glossier in the Matt Smith era, but I kind of like the glossier look and feel. I think the more dramatic music worked for me as well (the only misstep here I think was giving clara that theme: it just made her feel too precious). But I suppose that isn't so much about format as style.
"Look, Doctor Who costs a bleepton of money to make. Can't we cut it down to six episodes or something?"
"But that would make fans really disappointed."
"OK, but what if we spread one season out over two years, and change out the companion in the middle of it?"
"GENIUS!"
Of course, it could also have something to do with Moffat working on Sherlock (the lesser of the modern Sherlock Holmes series) at around the same time.