Fred tries.

He tries to escape all the expectations which are set upon his shoulders since birth, but they weigh him down so much that he's trapped.

The funny thing is, Fred knows he can never meet the expectations and be as funny or charming as his namesake, but when he tries to tell people this, they choose not to listen. They have so much faith in him that he falls into the role of his Uncle Fred because if he doesn't then it will hurt them.

When his parents and Roxanne pick him up from King's Cross Station for the first time, it's such a relief because he's missed them so much. But then the relief fades into guilt because about five minutes into the car trip, his parents want to know all about how his year went and what elaborate pranks he's pulled so far.

He can see his fathers eyes in the reflection of the mirror, so excited and expectant, and Fred can't tell him the truth, so he lies instead.

He tells his parents how he managed to explode a loo and flood the entire first floor corridor on his first day. He doesn't meet their eyes the entire time and leans against the car window, watching the blur of the landscape as they drive by.

When he's finished telling them his imaginary and made-up stories, Roxanne catches his eyes and her expression says everything. She knows he's lying. He looks to the front, expecting his parents to catch him out as well but they don't. Instead, they're sharing nostalgic looks with one another and holding hands.

It stings when he realises that they don't catch him out, but eventually he works out that they're afraid to find out that he's nothing like the original Fred.