I actually remembered Eccleston’s season as being a mixed bag until I rewatched it before the 50th.
It’s actually very consistent, more so than perhaps any other season of the show. The farting aliens episodes are actually really good with the sole exception of the…well…farting aliens.
I started with Eccleston and watched up until Matt Smith’s second series I think, at which point I lost interest. I keep telling myself I’ll pick it up again and finish, but it’s probably been almost 2 years now and I’ve forgotten practically everything.
Eccleston was my favorite and I think my disappointment at not getting a second series from him tainted my mood for everything that came after.