The logo for the 20th anniversary season of ‘Bubble Gang’. The anniversary special airs this Friday on GMA. (Logo courtesy of GMA Network)
The 20th anniversary of ‘Bubble Gang’ will be celebrated this Friday.
For this year, the annual ‘Bubble Gang’ anniversary special will be treated as a documentary, produced by none other than the GMA News and Public Affairs department. The documentary will highlight the rich history of the 20-year-old gag show, featuring interviews from past and present cast members, as well as behind-the-scenes personnel.
As always, the special will not be complete without the trademark sketches that have made ‘Bubble Gang’ so endearing. The skits will not only feature the current cast, but also some of the former mainstays as well.
Currently one of the country’s longest-running programs, ‘Bubble Gang’ first premiered on October 20, 1995. The show has attracted a loyal following over the years, and continues to gain new fans as technology and popular culture evolved.
One of the show’s driving forces is Michael V, who along with Antonio Aquitania, has been part of ‘Bubble Gang’ since its first episode. Bitoy is currently the show’s creative director, formulating most of the show’s endearing skits.
Just recently, Michael V released ‘The Bubble Bible’, a book that features humorous quotes from some of Bitoy’s memorable ‘Bubble Gang’ characters. In essence, ‘The Bubble Bible’ was considered a tribute to the entertainer who has made ‘Bubble Gang’ the country’s longest-running gag show, and a culmination of the show’s 20th year.
‘Bubble Gang”s other current cast members include Boy 2 Quizon, Betong Sumaya, Mikael Daez, Paolo Contis, Sef Cadayona, Rufa Mae Quinto, Chariz Solomon, Jackie Rice, Sam Pinto, Gwen Zamora, Max Collins and Andrea Torres. Supporting players include Diego Llorico, Mykah, Moymoy Palaboy, Denise Barbacena, RJ Padilla, Arny Ross, Joyce Ching, Jan Manual and Juancho Trivino.
To date, ‘Bubble Gang’ has aired 1,003 episodes during its 20-year history. The documentary this Friday will be the show’s 1,004th.
The hashtag for this year’s anniversary special will be #IMBG20. For those unaware of how ‘Bubble Gang’ started, this should help them understand how it all began, and how it evolved into the gag show it is today.
The ‘Bubble Gang’ 20th anniversary documentary airs this Friday after ‘Beautiful Strangers’.
From the Tube 
And the good news is… Ogie Alcasid will appear in the anniversary documentary special.
Of course, why would a good friend not miss this institutional milestone where his comedic stint in his career is elusive and refined?
Nice to hear. Ogie was one of the pillars of Bubble Gang, so tama lang na inimbita siya for this.
That docu, hosted by Mike Enriquez, discusses the impact Bubble Gang has on Filipino society and culture and vice versa (an anthropologist was interviewed regarding that point).
@Gab He was interviewed together with Michael V. by Jessica Soho, interspersed with footage of some of Ogie’s most memorable BG roles. Not shown even are two movies featuring Bitoy and Ogie’s characters.
The first segment of the docu is about Bitoy being not only a man of a thousand faces but also a man of many jobs.
It turns out that “Ang Dating Doon” trio is actually director Caesar Cosme, former writer Isko Salvador, and another little-known writer. The portion about them discusses how the segment copes with the times.
Interesting that Bubble Gang’s first theme song is inspired by late 50’s-early 60’s popular music.
At the end of the special Bubble Gang’s new OBB is shown. The roll call is:
– Michael V.
– Main male cast
– Main female cast
– Bagong Gang
– Four people who made their showbiz debut into the show (Diego, Moymoy Palaboy, Mykah)
Not mention in the docu:
– Name of P.A.R.D.
– Names of original cast members Wendell Ramos and Eric Fructroso (both now in ABS-CBN)
– How BG’s current theme song was made (first version was introduced with BG’s first logo change)
– The desktop transitions used in the late 2000’s (which contains icons for the OBB, IyoTube, and commercial spoof)
– DO-SE-NA
Also piqued my interest is the TV comeback of Alma Concepcion via that special. I wonder what she had done before that.
Prior to Bubble Gang’s debut, what networks other than GMA Bitoy appeared? The answer to the question may have been the “other network” he mentioned throughout the docu.
The little-known writer you’re talking about is Chito Francisco, who plays Bro. Jocel.
Bitoy first worked for Tropang Trumpo on the then-ABC 5. His mention of ABC-5 as the ‘other network’ is to avoid conflict of interest.
There were also other past cast members that were not mentioned, such as Ara Mina, Francine Prieto and Ellen Adarna. Other than that, though, it basically covered the history of Bubble Gang in just 90 minutes.