Freddi was born in Reading, England. He was educated at Reading School and then Oxford University, where he was lead singer in the Les Milkins Band. Since then, he has written books on sport, short stories and novels. A former winner of BBC Wildlife Magazine's nature writing prize, he lives in London with his wife the editor and actress Francine Brody.

Freddi's latest novel Pelican Blood (2005) draws on his experiences in the as a twitcher, fanatical birdwatchers who will travel anywhere to see a new bird for their lists, with each new bird known as a 'tick'. Revolving around the sometimes futile lives of three twitchers, with a 'foul-mouthed but lyrical' (to quote from the cover) and cinematographic style, it has been dubbed the Trainspotting of birdwatching; production company Ecosse Films have bought the film rights.